Broken and fixed
by Alexie Barnaby
Summary: Lately, everyone is pissing Roark off to death accusing him of mocking around with a Rhyperior he never owned. Will he ever find out what is going on?
1. He's not me

Roark woke up to the insistent sound of his pokègear. He yawned out loudly grabbing the shaking object with his right hand, going for the glasses with the other; the specs slipped off the bedside table, falling to the carpet.

The rescue of his glasses cost him quite a bit of curses. When the object was finally put in place, he succeeded to answer "Y…yeah…Roark here…"

/"Hey dude! Where did your politeness fly to?"/

Roark was still puzzled, he could recognize Riley's voice well, what his friend was babbling about, sounded like a forbidden mystery to him.

Feeling the throat still dry, the better he could answer was "What?" before coughing violently.

/"Today at the Iron Island, you passed in front of me and didn't even turn back to greet me! I really wanted to get a look closer to your new Rhyperior, since when you own one?"/

Roark rubbed his eyes in confusion, he had a suspect that the other was drunk or something "Riley, I think you should stay less under the beaming sun. You're freaking out, I don't have a Rhyperior and I was sleeping 'til five minutes ago, it wasn't me!"

The other laughed. Was sleeping considered a funny action?

/"For me it's you that are freaking out: do you think that just changing clothes,( and honestly why on the bloody world you decided to wear a black turtleneck with long sleeves in the Iron Island), could make me mistake you? Is that something that I made? Are you mad at me? Shot it!"/

Confusion in Roark's head was growing higher and higher, Riley seemed pretty convinced about his point but he wasn't fool, he was at home the whole day, and there was nothing that can make him change his mind "Hey listen, why don't you come here so we can talk about it? It's better you take a day off of training Riley…"

/"Well…I guess I should…"/ he didn't sound convinced though.

Roark slowly crawled out of his bed, reluctantly. He always had hard days and used to spend his day off from mining and gym completely relaxing in bed. But it happened that he particularly cared about Riley, and he was pretty worried for him. Roark was aware that the boy had a big disappointment: some months before, he went to challenge the Elite four, pretty sure he could beat them, just a little feared about Flint because the most of his team was made up by steel type pokèmon, he couldn't foresaw to lose so miserably against Aaron: his damned Drapion was way too strong, Lucario didn't succeed it, neither did the rest of his team, and where the violet scorpion-like pokemon failed, Heracross and Scizor fixed it all. The bug master didn't even have to call out Yanmega and Vespiquen.

Since then, Riley promised to train harder and harder, and spent every single day on the Iron Island training on his own, sometimes Roark made it up to him, but everything always ended in a battle, and the rock master was pretty tired for having to fight even when he wasn't supposed to. So it had been something like a month since they last saw each other.

Roark was pretty positive that Riley wasn't eating sufficiently and the starving combined with strong sunlight heat might have made him had a vision. It was like walking in a desert.

Seriously, he wearing a turtleneck with long sleeves in the Iron Island, what the hell? Roark who doesn't even wear long sleeves in winter. Riley was mistaking.

Roark opened the door to a sweat but beaming Riley, he wasn't as bad as he imaged.

The steel trainer gave Roark a pat on the shoulder "Hey, dude. I'm here!"

Roark let him in "I noticed…come in have a seat"

Riley took his hat off, sighing in pleasure when he noticed Roark's new air-conditioning system.

"So, why didn't you greet me today?"

Roark rolled his eyes "Because it wasn't me. I've slept all the day long and haven't even stepped out of the house, you could ask the miners around here, they would have noticed. And a Rhyperior! Please! Since when do I own one of that?"

Riley rose his hands up in defense

"I can assure you, I…I was sure it was you! I mean how many people may look like you around here, especially in the Iron Island?"

This conversation was driving the rock master mad, he was pretty pissed at his friend stubbornness.

"Are you calling me crazy? I can recognize you! If it was me I'd surely come and greet you!"

His tone grew rather loud and angry; Riley gave him a scared look "Hey, calm down I'm not saying anything of the like"

Roark sighed, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder "Riley…seriously, you should take a long break from training, me and Dad are worried for you. I know you were disappointed for your defeat, but, look, it's not the end of the world! I couldn't even dream about going there and face Aaron, even a Skorupi of his would win against my Onix!"

Riley didn't answer him, and Roark continued "Why don't you go and challenge gym leaders in other regions like Jotho or Kanto? I think it's more useful than killing yourself on that Island!"

Riley's expression was exhausted "Because…I don't know, I still fear the direct fight, what if I lose again?"

"You shouldn't worry about this, you know there are good and bad times, you can't always pretend to win, look at me! I should have quit with pokèmon several years ago!"

Riley offered a weak smile, his childhood friend was right, he sighed passing a hand through his hair, brushing them back "Well, I have never thought about it. I'm sorry. The sun must have played me an ugly trick, but there was actually a Rhyperior out there and a boy training it, maybe, settled the fact that I have never seen that pokèmon for real, I was just so marveled I was sure to see you"

Even though he said that, he didn't seem convinced about it. Roark pretended just to not notice as he stood up, pouring a glass of iced tea for both of them.

"Not to stick my nose in your business, but what have you been eating lately, there's not so much food in those surroundings as far as I know. Unless you developed the ability to eat and digest steel…"

"Well, you could be impressed on how delicious some sea weeds could be, besides some parts inside the cave are made up if fertile ground and there are berry bushes that grow in"

Riley spoke like he had just discovered a gold mine, on the other hand, Roark didn't seem as marveled as he was.

"Nice, but you can't spend the rest of your life eating berries and sea weeds: this is insane!" with that, he moved behind the kitchen counter and pulled some cereals out of a cabinet, he walked back handing Riley a bowl of chocolate rice flakes; the other accepted gently, giving his friend a smile "Thank you…"

He chewed slowly "I wish I could plant and grow chocolate flakes crisps trees!"

"Keep on dreaming Riley, keep on dreaming…" chuckled Roark, his friend would never change. He could still remember the day in their childhood when he waited awake to see the tooth fairy, obviously now he was just kidding, but if you just gave him a hint that something impossible was likely to happen, he would have tried the hardest to see it.

"You should take some sleep as well. Rocks aren't good for your back."

Riley stood up stretching out, his back bones crackling at the action "Well, maybe it's time for me to go home and get some deserved sleep…"

"Yep, you can't train properly if you don't sleep…actually that Ghost Leader from Ecruteak City can, but that's another story"

Riley greeted his friend giving him a pat on the shoulder, just like when he arrived, almost making him fall "Bye Roark, thank you." He smiled "For nothing"

*xXxXx*

"Roark! You bastard!" the sound of Candice's voice squeaked through the mine walls; Roark sighed heavily, letting go of his pick, and turning the attention to the intruder

"You can't enter here without head and feet protection" he scolded, giving a critical look to the girl that was wearing a mini skirt

"Screw the stupid rules! You had no hardhat on the head when you politely decided to make the rock walls of Mt. Coronet collapse with your damned Rhyperior!"

The rock master threw his arms in the air "I don't have a Rhyperior!"

"Yes, yes….Listen Roark, I can pass over the matter for this time because I can assume you did it just to find fossils, and I know that lately you're feeling lonely…but…just don't cause me any troubles again, right?" she had a furious look in her eyes and Roark almost felt scared and threatened from her.

"But Candice, there are no fossils on Mt. Coronet and I've not been there for months! I don't even own a Rhyperior if I have to say it all…"

She pointed an accusing finger towards him "Are you fucking kidding me? What point do you have in denying the evidence? Roark, I'm not blind, I saw you with your Rhyperior entering Mt. Coronet and then ordering it to use Earthquake….Don't try to prove me wrong, I can make you fire from your Gym Leader charge just for that, you know this?"

That piercing glare told Roark that the ice master wasn't kidding him at all, he hung his head, there was nothing he could do against it, no one could prove he wasn't at Mt. Coronet, even if he really wasn't; and damn it, he was sure he didn't own a Rhyperior!

A worker came closer to him "Is everything alright sir?"

He shrugged "I thought it was, people seem to see me and a Rhyperior everywhere lately…."

"But you don't own one as far as I know"

"Yeah, that's right, I hope this is just a bad joke someone is playing me"

*xXxXx*

Roark was putting in order his latest fossils when an impatient knock on the door made him distract from the task.

He went over to see who was there, and found a rather pissed Riley, a couple of weeks had passed since their last encounter "Ehy, what's up dude?" asked the rock master, gaining no answer..

The other walked past him inside, shoving him away almost making him fall on the floor "Hey! What the hell is in your head man?"

"What's in my head, what's in _my_ head? You really can't bear the fact that I was going to challenge the Elite Four again? You just needed to stop me, right?"

"Riley…what the holy hell are you talking about? You know that! If I did something to hamper your training, I can assure I didn't do it on purpose, actually I can't even think about what I could have done!"

Riley smashed his badge case on the counter, it was burned. Roark looked at it questioningly "Riley, that's your badge case, I can't see how could I have something to do with it…"

"Really? What if I say you destroyed my safety house in Iron Island?"

Roark jumped back "_Me_? Riley why on Earth would I have done something like that…I…."

Riley grabbed him from the collar of his shirt, growling at his face "Don't lie! They saw you! You and your fucking Rhyperior!"

Roark shook free from his grip "A Rhyperior my ass! I don't have that pokèmon, what's into you all of sudden? Will you ever understand there's someone else who's not me out there?"

Riley folded his arms over his chest "Where were you yesterday at noon?"

"I was somewhere else here, maybe in the mine, can't remember, I wasn't at the Iron Island!"

Useless to say, the Aura user didn't believe a single word coming from his friend's mouth

"The possible things are two: either you are lying for unkwon reason, or you suffer for multiple personality!"

Roark pushed his friend violently on the shoulders "Multiple personality? Can you even hear the words you say? Why don't you just accept that there's someone who looks like me and is having fun in messing up with my life?"

Their voice was going louder "And why would someone do this to you?"

"I don't know! Besides why would I made the Mt. Coronet walls collapse or make your home burst?Why can't you fucking think before you open that mouth?"

Roark's face was red for anger and shame "Why are you so stubborn on not believing me? Don't you have any brain at all? Riley, if this is a joke, well it's not funny anymore! It might be alright scolding me for not waving at you, but accusing me of destroying your home! Dammit Riley, since when do you think I can be able to do such a thing…" he groaned in disappointment, then reached the drawer for his wallet, handing his friend something like five hundred dollars "It's not that much, when I get the rest I'll give you, build your safety house again…"

Riley looked at the sum in his hands disbelieving, Roark wasn't even looking at back at him. Maybe after all he wasn't telling lies, Riley was too impulsive "Roark…"

"What? Isn't it enough?" he spit out angrily handing him another bill "I really can't push over for now."

"No Roark, I don't want your money!"

"And what do you want me to do then? Build your home again? Give you mine?"

He sounded really desperate, spitting out each word with fire.

"Are you really going to…give…"

"Yes Riley, what am I supposed to do to prove I have nothing to deal with those accidents? To prove that I really give a damn about you?"

"Roark…I….I'm sorry…."

Roark walked over him and opened the door "Do you want to think about it? Well, now I'm sorry, but I need to go mining. I hope you have your decision made for when I'm back!"

The door slammed closed, making a case falling on the floor breaking in several shards. Riley felt a strange headache, he leaned back, slipping slowly down on a chair. He was sure Roark wasn't lying, he could tell by the way his friend reacted, and now he was feeling guilty for it. But he was even sure it was his friend the one he saw on the Iron Island…

He wanted to run after him, but he knew the only way he could talk to Roark and apologize with him, was to wait until he calmed down for good.

Riley was also starting to get worried, what if his friend actually suffered of multiple personality issues? He knew Roark had never known his mother. She died before he was even four months old, and he knew that the loss of a parent at a very young age, could display the shocks later in life, and the later it appears, the worse it is. If it really was, he had just been senseless towards a sick guy.

His headache increased and forced him to move to the couch, his thoughts pestering, and driving him to sleep.


	2. The other side

**Author's note: **So here's the second part, I hope you will enjoy it, I'm sorry if these first chapters are very creepy, the interesting part will come soon, I promise.

I haven't scanned this chapter, really I am tired and it's hot like hell inside this damned room. so if you notice any kind of mistake please tell me and feel free to insult me! bye

**Disclaimers:** I don't own pokemon

* * *

Roark was working hard in the mine, picking and hitting hard against the rocks, trying to wash away all the rage cumulated lately.

Why the damn was Riley having doubts on him? And if there was someone acting like that, what does he want to achieve with that behavior? Honestly talking, he'd understand if someone tried to pass himself for Volkner, Candice or his father, but why _him_? Why not one of the Elite Four?

He made a mental list of all the possible enemies he could have built during the years: He often argued with Fantina, but he really doubted she could own a Rhyperior, and she would never dress in a male way. No she wasn't likeable. The only one who could pass for him under a dress could be Aaron or maybe Flint, but none of them had never had something to complain about Roark, and no one owned a Rhyperior.

The only one owning that pokèmon was Bertha, but being realistic, that old woman seemed pretty affected to all the young ones around, and she would never made the wall of Mt. Coroner collapse, neither would she destroy a safety house belonging to a young trainer.

He tried to skip his ideas on the people in other regions, but he had never travelled outside so the field of his acquaintances stopped with the few his father knew best and that sometimes paid him a visit: Roxanne from Hoenn, they had a good friendship, and she wasn't exactly the kind for this stupid tricks.

Brock from Kanto, he gave him a Kabuto recently, and they did never fight, so whatfor?

Jasmine was such a sweet girl who would apologize with a flower if she treaded down one accidentally, and Pryce was just too wise to do such a thing, he was also pretty old and he could never travel to Sinnoh just to make spites to Roark, and wasn't his element _ice_?

Clay from Unova? Please. How could someone mistake him for that tanned and chubby old cowboy like man. This was something Roark couldn't explain at all.

*XxXxX*

Riley was waken up suddenly by the door closing, he looked up at the clock, it was already seven PM in the evening, Roark had come back, leaning the hardhat on the small table in the hall.

The raven-haired man walked slowly to his mate "Roark…"

The other gave him a rather annoyed look "What? Have you made your decision?"

The other nodded "I am staying at my parents'. You don't owe me anything, I was mistaken" as far as he knew, the best way to deal with people who had eventual multi personalities disease was to treat the affected ones as they actually were two different beings.

Roark looked at him weirdly "Fine then, I guess you're leaving now" the redhead turned to move to the bathroom, but a strong hand on his arm prevented him to; he swirled to see Riley smiling and shaking his head "I'm going nowhere until I am sure you know I am so sorry for what I said you today, I should have known you would never do such a thing…"

Roark sighed "It's the second time you ask for sorry for the same thing, who can assure me you aren't going to make it again?"

Riley put a hand over his chest, where the heart was supposed to be "I swear I'll never do it again, and I'll make my best to help you find this troublemaker"

The rock master considered the proposal a little, well, if the mysterious man was appearing again, putting him in troubles, then why not?

"Fine"

A grin from ear to ear appeared on Riley's face as he hugged his friend so tight he could barely breathe "Thank you Roark! I promise I will help you in the best way I can!"

Roark coughed a couple of times "Right…now let go of me…I'm –cough- suffocating…"

The steel trainer placed him back down on the floor "Sorry, I guess I should go now"

"If you want to have dinner with your parents, then yes"

Every sign of anger disappeared from Roark's face as he waved his friend goodbye, happy that the matter was finally solved.

*XxXxX*

Riley knocked weakly at his parents' door. He was opened by his mother, a half aged woman, with shoulder length platinum dyed hair, wearing a white apron over a violet knee length summer dress, she held a wooden spoon in her hands, she was cooking.

"Oh Riley dear! What brings you here?"

The boy took his hat off, entering the living room "Some accident left me without the safety house on the Iron Island"

His mother stroke his cheeks like when he was just a small kid "Oh my god! How are you feeling?"

"Oh, no, I wasn't there. You don't have to worry about me. Where's Dad?"

His mother moved to the stove to stir some kind of soup she was making "He's still under the shower, I think he's almost done"

"Well, what are we having for dinner?"

"Rice with tomato sauce"

Riley hummed contently as if he was already eating.

"Hey man, have you decided to see your old?" his father came down of the stairs, his curly black hair had some grey on the roots, and there were winkles at the sides of his dry mouth

"Kinda…"

"He said his safety house was destroyed"

"An Earthquake?" asked his father

"No, actually there's something I want to talk you about…"

His tone grew serious, making his parents a little scared "What are you talking about dear? Are you feeling ill?"

His mother pointed "No, nothing to deal with me. It's about Roark"

"What is it? I saw Byron yesterday and he told me nothing about him"

"Actually dad, I don't know if Byron is aware of it…I think he suffers of a strange kind of a multi personalities disease"

The platinum locks on her mother's hair almost went fuzzy "What? That poor boy… what makes you think he has?"

Riley told them the lately happenings, his mother was stunned, but his father seemed less impressed "I thought that it could be the later displaying for having lost his mother. I heard that such those pain can show up later in life when you lose a parent still being so young. I mean I have never known my biological parents either, but you know I don't care at all because you did it just wonderfully"

The compliment made both his parents blush, but they forced to snap the attention back at the matter his son was explaining "What do you know about his mother?"

"Very little actually, but I didn't like her. She was a kind of a profiteer, she got pregnant once before she had Roark, she broke up with Byron to get together with Arceus knows who. She came back a year later telling him she lost the baby, and then they had Roark. The strange thing was that she died because according to the doctor 'she couldn't do another kid', but if she lost the one before Roark…"

"Maybe losing the one before Roark damaged her system, you can't know it" protested his husband

"Whatever. I have never liked her, always looking around in a strange way. She was a gorgeous woman, don't misunderstand me, she was just smarmy, for me she stayed with Byron just because of his position and money. She was spoilt like no other, she couldn't even move a finger on her own. Just think that once while Byron was working, she called him because she forgot a shoe on the lower floor, and the silliest thing was that he made it without complaining" she then gave a look to his husband "What if it was me?"

"With all the respect, my dear, I would just have answered 'move your gracious butt and take it'"

They laughed

"Do you think I should advise Byron of this? I mean there's nothing we can do…" said Riley scratching the back of his neck nervously

"He could actually do something about, but how will Roark take this? I mean, he is unaware of having this disease, when one has such these disturbs, just has memory loss in the moments he has the personality switch to the other, and he would never admit it"

Said his father wisely

"Maybe Riley dear you should just spend some more time with your friend to ensure he is effectively ill. If you are pretty sure then, you should really advise Byron of this. It could get worse with the time"

Noticed his mother.

"Fine then, I think I'll do it"

*XxXxX*

"Heilà Sir! Look at this!" one of the miners called out loud holding a round fossil to Roark "Hey! This is an Helix Fossil!" Roark gave his miner a pat on the shoulder "Well done.." he then looked at his wristwatch "You can go home now, you deserved it"

"Oh, thanks sir!"

The worker went out beaming, the whole team loved how Roark treated them, with the hurry of getting away, he walked in Riley "Oof! Sorry, Roark just let me go home earlier because I found an Helix Fossil!"

The raven haired man smiled "Nice, is he still in the mine?"

"Yes, second tunnel West"

"Thank you"

Roark was so taken by cleaning the Helix Fossil he just received that he barely noticed Riley approaching "Hey, look at this!" he said handing his friend the recently found fossil, Riley pretended to be surprised, even if he didn't care about fossils as much as the rock master did.

"It's…nice"

"I can't believe I found one in here! This kind of finds are only present in Kanto! This is extraordinary! I'll advise Brock by the end of the day!"

He put the fossil in his pockets "What are you doing here anyway?"

Riley looked down at his shoes "Here I…I…I planned to help you out with fossils. Yesterday I had a speech with my father and he suggested me that knowing something more about fossils and the history of pokèmon would help me improve my trainer skills"

Roark rose an eyebrow in disbelief "Really?"

"Sure, where can we begin?"

The rock master pointed to an hardhat that laid on the rocky ground "You have to wear protection for the head first…"

Once Riley had put the hardware on the other started picking again "Look you have to go easy on the rock wall, because if there's a fossil, the lightest touch is enough to take the rock in excess away and show the find. Alright?"

The raven haired man nodded, despite he wasn't interested in fossils and things of the like.

The task was harder than he thought: Roark was very dedicated to his work in the mines, and stayed there 'til late in the afternoon, when a worker advised him he had a challenger.

Riley stayed with him all the battle long, his friend won this time, the idiot was sure he could beat the rock master with a Plusle and a Pidgeotto!

"Hey, good battle bro!"

"Yeah, I had advantage on him. You can go back home if you want. We've finished"

Well Riley didn't think about a fact like this, and wasn't prepared "Oh, don't worry, I think we could eat out together, if you like…I pay!"

"Riley, you're acting strange…before you accuse me of being a house destroyer, then you come here and don't leave me and pay lunch for me…is there something wrong?"

The steel trainer held his hands up "Nothing, you can swear on it!"

"Fine, anyway, I need to go to the laboratory and bring the fossils for cleaning, you can have a shower meantime, if you like, then we can go wherever you want, is that alright?"

"Right…so, when are you coming back?"

"An hour, an hour and half, I don't know, this depends on Prof. Rowan!"

With that, Roark disappeared behind the door. Riley was tentative if he had to follow the redhead or not, but fearing to becoming obvious, he decided to not follow, what could possibly happen in a hour? Besides Prof. Rowan was going to be there, if something would have gone wrong, he would surely have known.

The laboratory wasn't far from Roark's home so he could have checked on him. Just in case.

*XxXxX*

An explosion made Riley jump out of the shower, he hurried to put some piece of clothes on, he leaned out of the window and noticed the noises came from the Laboratory: a Rhyperior was there, then suddenly it disappeared by a red flash of a pokèball.

The steel trainer ran to find exactly what he expected, an unconscious Roark laying on the ground.

Rowan and his two assistants were safe on the outside "Prof. what happened?"

Asked Riley panting "I don't know, he went to the back of the laboratory and then…the explosion and the Rhyperior! I don't know where that pokemon came from!"

Riley ran to his friend, shaking him awake "Roark! Roark! Wake up!"

The redhead slowly opened his eyes "R…Riley…weren't you under the shower? What happened I..I… can't understand!"

The aura user lifted him up and ran towards where Prof. Rowan was "Come on! Go and call Byron! I'm gonna take him to the hospital!"

*XxXxX*

it was almost nine o'clock when Byron decided to come.

"Where's my son?" he asked nervously to the orderly "I'm sorry sir. He is still under chemicals, you can't get in his room before the doctors tells me differently"

He was about to shove the man away and get into the room when Riley prevented him to "Byron!"

"Riley, what happened?"

The young boy explained him everything, not leaving out the multiple personalities fact. Byron's eyes went wide as he named the disease.

"R…Riley..he doesn't own a Rhyperior!"

"That's the point he doesn't even know. If he has this disease, he may have caught a rhyhorn without even knowing it"

Riley took the elder for the shoulders, looking him in the eyes "Byron, you know, Roark's like a brother for me, but he needs help before the situation gets worse, he already caused troubles away with his Rhyperior, if we don't act now, then it could be too late"

Byron looked down at the floor, taking a deep sigh "It's not something we can decide on our own, we should have him talking with an expert doctor. We can't make diagnosis out of the blue!"

"Do whatever you think it's better for him. Me and my family will support you"

The man hugged Riley "Thank you"


	3. Goodbye

**Author's note: **A little shorter than the previous ones. There will be an OC in here, but it just has a side part =D

**Disclaimers: **I don't own pokèmon, you know that?

* * *

Roark slightly opened his eyes, the neon lights of the hospital irritating his retina. He rubbed his half-closed eyelids forcing his sight to adjust with the light.

When he woke up he found Byron and Riley standing at the bottom of his bed "D…Dad….what is happened?" he sat up stretching his arms out.

Byron and Riley looked at one another, before the elder spoke "There was an accident at the laboratory, you passed out, the doctor said you weren't heavy wounded. "

"Fine. Am I ever going back home? There's plenty of work I left to do"

"According to Dr. Jumpier you can leave by the evening, but you're still not allowed to have any match in your gym until you've finished with the medicines" informed Riley.

Roark rolled his eyes falling back on the bed "Fine… now the blond devil is gonna kill me!" he pouted

"Don't you worry son, I already had a talk with Cynthia, she said you can take the time you need. Besides, she was patient with everything Volkner did, why would she be mean to you for something that isn't your fault?"

"Right."

"What happened? I was into the shower and heard the loud explosion…"

"I can't understand, I was into the scanning room and then…." He touched his forehead as it was painful, groaning "…I can't remember, I must have passed out"

The rock master looked at the bright sun out of the window "Hey Riley, would you mind to close the curtain? This light in contrast with the neon's in here is bothering my sight"

His friend accomplished without complaining, when he turned around he found that the redhead had fallen asleep again.

Byron put a hand on Riley's shoulder "Let's go home, he must be tired, we're coming back to pick him up later"

*XxXxX*

The following morning, Roark walked down the stairs, hoping to get something into his stomach, when he heard a low speech coming from the living room. He approached the half opened door silently.

His father and Riley were on the couch facing a young man on the armchair. The man was rather thin, dressed in a white shirt from where a tie was put, he sat crossed legs while writing something on an electronic pad he brought, his thing specs resting at the tip of his nose. He nodded slowly at what Riley was explaining, making some dark violet bangs rock up and down along with the head motion.

He tried to focus on the words spoken, still numb on the identity of the man in the living room.

"…and so he affirms he isn't involved with the disasters, but I can assure you that both me and other people have seen him making this actions, is it ever possible he doesn't know to have a pokemon?"

The violet haired man nodded slightly "Yes, if his ego caught it he will never remember…." He tapped on the pad with his index finger before starting again "Does he take some special medications that could affect his nervous system?"

"No, my son hates taking medicines, and he haven0t been ill for a quite long time now"

"See, those diseases usually come from a traumatic event in the infancy, you told me the boy lost his mother, right?"

"My wife died something like a month after his birth, is it relevant?"

"Maybe, but see, the boy lived good even after his mother's death, did he display the sorrow for the loss?

Byron ruffed the back of his hair "Well, not exactly. When he was quite young he would have asked why his school mates had a two parents while he had just me, but he seemed to understand when I explained…"

The doctor took a breath "Well, I think I have to see the patient. This kind of disorder appears mostly in people who were abused during their childhood; as you put it, the boy doesn't seem to have had any. Are you sure there wasn't even some shocking event, also back into his teen days or something?"

Byron shook his head "He never talked me about that. Well, he was often mocked during his first years of elementary school because he had to wear thick glasses"

"Yes, they were particularly cruel…" Riley had interrupted

The doctor continued his nodding, while Roark could feel a knot forming on his throat.

"Fine then, I guess all that it's left to do is waiting for him to wake up"

"Do you need me to…" suggested Byron standing up from his seat, the doctor shook his head "No, don't worry. Let him rest, I have no hurry"

Riley was looking at his feet "Doctor Clyde"

"Yes?"

"What would happen to him?"

The violet haired man took a breath "Well, it heavily depends on the case. I can't tell you certainly, but if it's something not too worrying, he could just do home therapies and will be out in something like a year or so, if it results to be more serious, well, I guess he needs to be carried to an asylum…"

"Fine then, whatever to make my son feel better"

Byron's tone was harsh and sad at the same time, he looked down in defeat as the doctor spoke.

Roark stood up disbelieving: his father and his best friend trying to put him under analysis because of a crazy boy with a Rhyperior? That was unacceptable!

Maybe he lost memory of the event at the laboratory, but when the mysterious boy attacked elsewhere, he was sure awake and conscious of what he was doing.

One thing was sure: he would have lost his charge as a gym leader.

He felt betrayed, how could his best friend and father doubt about him? His first intuition was to burst into the living room and beat the shit out of them: they wanted him to be crazy? Well then, let's show how fool and dangerous Roark could be!

But, no. If he did, he would have surely be brought to one of those asylum in where they had insulation cellars, and the picture of him spending years wrapped in a straitjacket wasn't so appealing.

He silently climbed back to his room, when an image crossed his mind. He recalled about his father talking about the Kanto league Champion, a guy called Red, who after winning everything retreated to live on the peak of Mt. Silver. He was still living as far as he knew, and why do not try to follow his example? Roark was particularly good with caves, and could easily live from gathering if he wanted, besides, when he was starving he could always beat someone and get money.

That life didn't seem easy, but at least, that wasn't the straitjacket!

He took out his red backpack and put some clothes and snacks in. after dressing up, he called Aerodactyl out and commanded him to fly away. The only things left for Riley and Byron, was a sheet on the bed, fe words on it

'_I see that you trust the garbage bin more than me. I suppose I'm useless here from now on. _

_I'm just sorry because I really trusted you in the deepest of my heart, you two were more than my father and my best friend, you two were heroes to me. Now I see why when I was younger you told me Superman ad Hulk were just inventions, comics, that they didn't exist. Well, now I realize that heroes really don't exist. _

_Don't come and look for me, I can watch myself._

_Bye forever, _

_Roark_

_PS. Tell the doctor he shouldn't wear r tie with these hell temperatures'_

*xXxXx*

Riley glanced at the clock once again, two hours were passed and Roark hadn't come down yet, it was almost noon, and the doctor started to grow impatient.

The raven haired man stood up "It's better I go and check on him, maybe the medicines are still having their effects…"

He climbed up the stairs, to find Roark's bedroom door slight open, he knocked gently a couple of times "Roark, are you awake?"

No response.

He tried again

"Roark, there's a man downstairs that needs to have a talk with you"

Still no answer, and the man started to worry, he cracked the door open and nearly screamed when he saw his mate wasn't in bed anymore, he reached for the piece of paper that laid on the pillow, reading it with a shaking hand.

"Riley, is he awake?"

Instead of a vocal answer, Byron was rewarded with a stretched hand towards him holding a crumpled sheet. He didn't like neither the look on the younger's face, nor the fact that his son wasn't in bed.

Byron read the few blue inked lines and gasped out loud: this wasn't supposed to happen.

"What are we doing then?" asked Canalave City gym leader; Riley shook his head in defeat "I don't know, we have do advise Cynthia first, if we call everyone, he will be localized before he could leave the region!"

He moved to reach the phone, but a bony hand stopped him by the arm "Don't you even think about it!"

Clyde stood straigt, arms folded over his chest, the digital pad still in hand.

"But doctor, my son's outta there, what am I supposed to do? We need to stop him, somehow! We need to bring him before he could hurt someone more!"

"If you run after him and send all the region in search for him, he would go out of mind completely!" the doctor's tone calmed down a bit when he noticed his listeners were quite now "He did this on a rage impulse, he will come back sooner or later. And except for the laboratory and the safe house, which happened to be at the entrance of a cave, I noticed he doesn't act in places where people are, right?"

They both nodded  
"So we just need to stay calm, and if he eventually decides to change his personality, he would definitely be in a cave. So all you can ask for is to leave tha caves alone for some times in order to avoid accidental murders."

Even if he wasn't alright with the doctor, Byron decided to follow his instructions, he was a doctor after all.

*xXxXx*

Roark flew aimlessly on Sinnoh border lines, wandering on where to go.

"Unova is too obvious…" he thought "Clay would surely call my dad. No!"

He was browsing a geographic book "Hoenn…" the page displayed a nice picture of the Meteor Falls "Hey, this isn't bad! We can go there…wait" he read the few red lines under the picture

'_Always crowded with tourists'_

"No, no, no! It's out of discussion!"

He went to the Kanto session of the book "Well, Brock uses to hang up there and I'm pretty sure he knows the bloody hell of everyone there, I would be shot back home as soon as I step in…what a pity, there are nice places there…." He said pointing at few pictures of the Viridian Forest and the Mt. Moon "I wonder, there would be thousand of Helix fossils…whatever I can't go there"

That left just Jotho as the latest option, he read some articles before reasoning "Well, Jasmine is pretty one to mind her own business….besides all the Gym leaders and the Elite four there are."

He recalled when Volkner told him about how selfish the Dragon gym leader was, how little she cared about what happened around her.

He also had once the occasion to see the Flying master, was his name Falkner? And he was just a grumpy boy whose only worrying were flying type pokemon.

It wouldn't be so bad, after all. He could get used to it.

Roark leaned forward to speak at Aerodactyl's ears "Fly west to Jotho, we're stopping at the Ilex Forest!"

The pokèmon gave a cry as to confirm of understanding.

Roark leaned back, facing the sky passing over his head, a single tear escaped him, he could feel as his heart was pierced by a fiery blade, he was nothing different than a weight for his dearest people. He should have understood it decades ago, when he was young and no one wanted to play with him, Riley did it just because he was being sympathetic. And his father? He assumed that taking care of a son all on his own was too hard and frustrating, they just decided to get rid of him, he just did it before they could achieve it.


	4. Breathing life again

**Author's note: **I added some battle scenes just to heat this shit up a little. I'll be working on the next chapter this afternoon or maybe tomorrow. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, but I have really few time to re-read it D=

**Disclaimers: **I don't own pokèmon

* * *

Roark landed in a small town in where houses had violet roofs, he assumed it was Violet City, looking down at his pack, he noticed he had just run out of snacks and water, the poke mart was still open. He counted the coins in his pocket, they were just enough to buy something decent.

Looking down at the prices, he noticed that things were cheaper than in Sinnoh.

He didn't miss the strange look the young cashier gave him, she was almost frightened. He rose an eyebrow "Yes? Is there something wrong with my shirt?"

He looked down at his clothes for any sign of spots, finding none. He stared back at her, who now made a sigh of relief "Oh, nothing. I mistook you for someone else, I'm sorry"

He smiled "Don't worry. Nothing happened" he gathered the shopping into a paper bag "Have a good night" he greeted before going away.

He noticed that in violet city the weather was rather cool, he had to put his fake leather jacket on. Strange, thinking that Violet City wasn't even in the mountains…he didn't dare thinking how it the winter was like.

He walked past the tall building called the Sprout Tower, staring a little at the magnificent of the tower. The Ilex Forest wasn't too far away, but with the low temperatures, he tried to ask for a bed at the pokèmon center.

He was greeted by a cheerful nurse "Good evening sir. How can I help you?"

He took his jacket off, folding it on one arm "I need a bed for the night"

"We have right one" he left her the pokèballs

"What's your name?"

"Roark"

She gave him a weird look, then just snapped the thought away "Ok, will you follow mw then?"

Nurse Joy guided him up to the stairs into a dark corridor, they went until the bottom where there was a door "Here you are sir"

Roark nodded as he retreated to the room.

While he was showering, the thought of that cashier came back to his mind: she was clearly frightened: what if she also was referring to the Mysterious boy with the Rhyperior?

He forced his mind back to the accident at the laboratory: what happened before he passed out?

'I put the Helix Fossil on the scanner…then turned to where the documents of my last finds were…then…' he went rigid all of sudden: 'One of the papers fell on the floor, I went to gather it up and hurt against the table!'

He face palmed, if he was a little bit more careful, he could have avoided the worse to happen.

Guilty senses weren't needed now, all he wanted to do was to sleep over and over until he washed all the rage away.

Beds at the pokèmon centers were better than he expected, he employed no more than ten minutes before drifting off to sleep.

*xXxXx*

Byron stared outside the window, he was paler than usual

"Don't worry he couldn't have gone too far"

Riley's mother assured him "I hope it, Angelina, I hope. He has never been too far, what if he passed the borders?" he gave a deep sigh "I should have never let him go, I should have talked to him about this first. He would have screwed up with me, shouted and made the hell of a noise, but at least he would have been here"

Riley was pacing in circles into the living room, occasionally kicking the legs of the couches, all while attempting to call Roark; needless to say, his friend wasn't answering.

He typed the number several times, always the same result.

Byron peeped in "So?"

"Nothing. He is still angry."

Riley sank in the armchair, a look of defeat in his eyes, he passed a hand behind his neck "Damn it. If he heard the hints about his mother…"

But the Canalave Gym leader wasn't paying attention at all, he sat head in palms, as he was forcing himself not to cry.

"B..Byron?"

"It's the second son I've lost…that…that just…dammit! Why the hell am I so hopeless? What did I do to deserve this?"

Riley went closer to him, kneeling down to reach his eye level "It wasn't your fault you lost the first one, he died before even being born…"

"Riley's right, Byron,: don't blame yourself for that. It was something that just unluckily happened" pointed Riley's father, taking a seat next to him handing his friend a glass of whiskey "Come on, drink, it will calm you down a little…"

Byron turned the glass between his fingers, looking at the content as it was alien poison, he then swallowed it in one single sip, spitting the ice cube back in the glass as it ended into his mouth.

Positioning the glass on the coffee table, he groaned "He _was_ born, Mitchell"

The three family members tilted their head up in surprise "What? But Byron why have you never talked about it?" asked Angelina, panicked

"Well, it was because, Ariana didn't want to. Our relationship wasn't in one of the best periods when the little was born…"

"Ow…I remember you avoided to go out when you were still with her, the year before she left…"

Mumbled Mitchell

"Yeah, then there was all the trouble with the damned…how did they call it? _Team Rocket_, I was away trying to stop them, and when I came back, Ariana came to me telling he was dead…I wasn't able to open this wound in my heart anymore, so I'm sorry if I have never told you…I thought that ignoring the fact was the best thing to do…now I understand what a coward I was. And now I'm feeling like giving up like that one again, stop struggling with Roark, is just like signing a vow not to see him anymore. And I really can't take it. I should have stopped to the first if I knew I was such a bad father. I'm ashamed of myself"

*xXxXx*

Roark stretched back on his bed, he slept pretty well, despite his fears, he had no nightmares heaving on him.

He got up, slowly approaching the toilet to refresh himself.

Much to his pleasure, the sun was bright high and it wasn't too hot outside.

Sitting on the bed, Oreburgh Gym leader browsed Jotho's map, tracing a path with his red pen "Well, I can see if there's someone to beat here at the Violet City Gym, the leader trains flying type pokèmon, it wouldn't be too hard for me to beat him and take a good amount of money"

He said, circling the spot where Falkner's Gym was pictured.

"The Ruins of Alph…it would be actually really interesting visiting and find some new fossils"

He escaped from Oreburgh, but he could always study fossils in Jotho.

Roark traced another red line from the Ruins to Azalea town, he still hadn't visited that one yet; he took the guide book out to see who that town's gym leader was "Well, Bugsy, specialized in bug type pokemon" he lifted his head "Maybe he's somehow related with Aaron? Whatever, I can make a good bunch of money this way"

After he had dressed up, Roark went downstairs to retrieve his pokèmon.

There was another nurse in charge in the morning

"Good morning" she greeted cheerfully

"Good morning. I'm here to take my pokèmon back"

She checked on something on the computer "Well, what's your name?"

"Roark"

She nodded moving away from the counter "Just a minute, I'm going to take your pokeballs"

Roark watched her leave and disappear into a blue door. He was feeling pretty cheerful.

"Hey dude what are you doing here? I thought you were travelling out of the region"

A voice was louder from the behind, he didn't recognize it, so he just didn't turn

"Hey, Silver why are you ignoring me?"

Roark felt a hand turning him and found himself face to face with a young man, he wore a cap turned on the back, letting a lock of black hair to peek out from the little hole of the cloth. He wore a hoodie and shorts, his golden orbs shining with surprise and he noticed he was mistaken "Oh, I'm sorry you are…"

"…Not the person you mentioned" smiled the rock master ending the sentence, and hoping for the boy to leave him alone. He obviously didn't foresaw he was extremely clingy.

"Hey dude! You totally look like to my friend! Well, you are shorter, wear glasses and your eyes are something like amber instead of icy silver"

Roark forced a smile "Sorry for not being him?"

"No problem man! I don't think I've ever seen you around here. Where are you from?"

"Another region…" said the rock master vaguely, hoping for the guy to leave him alone

"Hoenn? Unova? You know one of my greatest friends comes from Hoenn, and I have several in other regions, but I've travelled there. But tell me, where region do you come from?"

The appearance of the nurse carrying his pokèballs seemed like a mystical vision of an angel came to save him to Roark, he grabbed the given objects and secured them around his belt. He then turned to the other that meanwhile had started babbling something on how good the food in Unova could be, the rock master stretched a hand towards the young "Sorry, I have to go now."

"Where are you going?" he sighed deeply, this boy was defiantly freaking him out

"To the gym, I need some money…."

He said leaving, but the boy was directly behind him "Wait! I'm coming with you!"

With this, Roark's patience line got to the limit, what did he do wrong to deserve all of this? He turned almost yelling "I don't need someone to stay plastered on my heels! If you please can leave me alone, I'd say you a big thank you!"

The reaction was the most unlikely, the boy chuckled and then burst into a violent laugh "You know man? You really look like Silver!"

"Whatever! Now I'm sorry, but I really should go"

He pouted, walking away

"Hey, can I come with you?" asked the little stalker aloud, following him closer

"I thought it was clear you can't!"

For how useful it could sound…the boy didn't even hear his protests "But, I just have to go to Azalea town, I can guide you through the Ilex forest, You'd surely get lost…."

Roark stopped, lifting his eyes to the sky "Are you leaving me alone then?"

"Well, I guess I can try"

They walked in relative silence, or better, Roark didn't say a word, while the other just kept on talking over and over.

"…And I don't know your name. I'm Gold"

Roark forced a smile again "My name's Roark"

The black haired boy seemed to go numb for few seconds, then his eyes lit up "But you are Orebur—" a hand prevented him to talk "Can you please act with more discretion?"

Gold got free from the hand pressed on his mouth "But man, why on the world do you wanna hide it?"

"It's a long story. I'm practically bored of my life there, I needed a break" he lied

"But I thought it was Volkner the one bored"

The redhead gave him a piercing glare able to break rocks "He's not the only one who can have feelings! Do you know that?"

The other held his hands up in defense "Sorry man, I promise I won't say it anymore!"

They reached the gym, before he could push the door open, Roark heard Gold chuckling behind his back "You know, Falkner's gonna spit fire!"

The rock master blinked "Isn't his type the flying one?"

"Yes, but he literally hates when people use pokèmon types that has advantage on his 'precious' little birds"

"He can say whatever he wants! I have never complained for people using water, grass or fighting pokèmon against mine, and sometimes I dare winning against them too!"

With that, he entered in.

Gold grinned from ear to ear, already enjoying the word fight that would have followed the match.

Roark stood with an eyebrow up at the elevator in front of him, he looked back at gold "Are you fuckin kidding me?"

"No, he isn't!" exclaimed the other, literally pushing the gym leader on the wooden floor of the elevator.

The engine activated and pulled them up with an extreme slowness.

The upper floor was made of a frame of transparent bricks that ran along all the perimeter, by which you could reach Falkner without facing the pupils, while the rest was made of single paths that brought you to face two trainers before having access to the gym leader.

With his (almost) displeasure, Roark noticed Falkner wasn't in the gym. He pulled Gold close from the hoodie with a finger "Hey, where's the boss here?" he asked ironically

"He will walk inside only after you've beaten those three pretty faces there"

Roark nodded and went ahead. The three matches didn't last too much, as his Rampardos was pretty able to put them all K.O.

After the last pupil was defeated, the back door burst open letting a grumpy bluehead, dressed in traditional clothes, bump in, pointing an accusing finger towards Roark.

Gold was already fighting back the urge to laugh.

"You, cheater! I'll erase that grin off your face before you even have the time to reply"

"Ehy, chill out, dude, you train bird pokèmon I train rock ones. Besides nothing's said, our match hasn't begun yet, and you already protest!"

Falkner's lips curved down, just like a dog who was holding back the urge to bite.

"Okay, let's get it started then. I've noticed you are pretty strong, and I won't go easy on you, I'll let my best mates out. How many pokèmon?"

Roark shrugged "It's your home, you decide"

"Is that three okay?"

The rock master smiled and nodded "Fine"

The two gym leaders(Despite Falkner didn't have the least hint of who is opponent was), took distance, looking at each other with a glare of challenge in their eyes.

As predictable, Falkner was the first to set his pokèmon in, he threw a pokèball in the air, a Pidgeot came out making circles in the air and finally landing on the wooden floor.

Roark smirked he knew too well that even if he had the element advantage, Falkner's pokèmon were far more faster than his. He just couldn't let Tyranitar out. He decided for Golem instead.

the referee lifted the flag up to let the match start.

"Pidgeot: use drill peck!"

Roark almost laughed : Why on earth he was using a flying move against a pokemon that was clearly a rock type? It made no sense to him.

"Golem, use defense curl and force it back!"

Golem curled on himself, the defense curl power making Pidgeot stumble back, but even if the attack was pushed back, the shield Golem created wasn't enough to prevent the drill peck to work, Roark could see some light fractures on the turtle like pokemon body. Falkner wasn't kidding at all. He had underestimated his opponent too much.

"Golem use rollout before it gets up: fast!"

Golem tumbled up, hiding head and limbs inside his hard rock shell and rolling mercilessly toward the bird like pokemon.

Few seconds before Pidgeot was able to stand up again, the rock pokemon hit him badly making it fall.

"Dammit! Pidgeot stand up!"

But it was useless as the critical hit received prevented the pokèmon to do it.

The referee held the green flag towards Roark.

Falkner was already fuming, he gave Roark the impression of something that could soon attack "How dare you! Now we're gonna see, you wan a battle but the war isn't over yet!"

With that he left his Pelipper out.

The rock master bit his lip, this actually could be dangerous as it was also a water type pokèmon.

He considered the options he had a little, maybe Aerodactyl would do it.

"See, I also have flying type pokemon" he joked

"I don't think you'll still want to laugh when I'm finished with you, boy!"

"We'll see…" he knew he had to get rid of that pokemon at once, the longer the battle lasted, the lower his chances of winning become

"Aerodactyl: use hyper beam!"

He could see Falkner smirking almost evilly as he ordered his Pelipper to fly, and the pelican like pokemon easily avoided the attack "You're so predictable, you know that?"

The fossil pokèmon was still recovering from the effort of the hyper beam, and the bird master took advantage of that, just like how Roark did few minutes before with his Pidgeot "Pelipper, use Hydro pump and finish it!"

Aerodactyl was still too weak for avoiding the move; the powerful water jet hit it directly in the front, and the pokèmon fainted.

Roark bit his lip, that damned gym leader was very good. Now it was all or nothing, they were even and the last battle would decide the winner.

"So, are you left without words, dear rock lover?"

Falkner was throwing a pokeball up and down on his hand "Truth to be told I would have left it for last, but the one coming next will be so more effective…"

Roark stood silent and just nodded "Well then, I also have something here that could prove your nerves… go Rampardos!"

The èpokèmon landed on the ground with an heavy 'tud'

"Well, well, well. Honchkrow, I choose you!"

Roark bit his lip _'Dammit, I heard this is fucking strong to be a flying pokemon!'_

"What? Are you surprised?"

"Not too much, why are you still talking? Blabbing won't make you win!"

Falkner's eyebrows furrowed with irritation for the comment: that little arrogant!

"Hanchkrow: use dark pulse"

"Rampardos, avoid it!" but it was too late, the dark wave hit the rock type pokemon on the legs making it fall

"Rampardos stand up and use headbutt, now!"

Falkner shook his head "Not so fast, you impertinent: Honchkrow use steel wing!"

Roark's eyes widened as the bird pokèmon stopped the attack easily, damaging his own as well.

Rampardos was on the ground again "Honchkrow, I'm growing bored, come on and finish it, use steel wing!"

Roark's head had to process something different, well, was it steel what the bastard wanted? Very well, he would pay him back! His father was Canalave gym leader and spent his life fighting with a friend who loved steel type pokemon, though he knew everything needed on steel, also more than that blue looking priest would ever learn in that damned library of his!

"Rampardos, use steel tail!"

Hanchkrow's wing and Rampardos' tail collided together, fighting hard pushing back and forward, it was now a resistance game

"Honchkrow, hold on: push it away!"

Roark smirked as he saw the hint of fatigue on the bird pokemon's expression

"Rampardos, just one last push!"

The two pokemon intensified their attack against the other, until they were both pushed back by their power.

Hanchkrow slammed hard against the wall, falling unconscious on the floor, Rampados went back, flinching and threatening to fall down from a moment to another. The rock master stared at his pokèmon, if it too lost its senses, they would be even and he really didn't hope this.

The rock pokèmon finally settled a firm foot on the floor balancing his whole body in a straight(even if shivering) position.

The referee lifted the green flag proclaiming Roark as a winner.

Falkner fell on his fourth more enraged than ever.

Gold stared at the flying master expectantly, regretting he didn't bring a camera with him.

"Damned you cheater! You took advantage on me!"

"What? Hey I used a rock type move only against your Pidgeot! You are the one who had the Hydro Pump idea! And in the last match it was steel versus steel and you can't complain about it! You lose because you gave for sure that my pokèmon only knew rock type moves! The next time you will pay more attention!"

The flying master sighed, still fuming for the loss, but knowing there was nothing he could do now, so he just handled his opponent the Zephir badge "Here you go. I want a rematch, you caught me on one of my bad days…"

"You've been having lots of bad days in the last two years, right Falkner?"

Teased Gold

"Just shut the hell up!"

Roark and Gold exited the gym, heading for the Ruins of Alph.

The rock master smiling cheerfully, that match really brought him back to life.


	5. Pocket Pictures

**Author's note: **Here I am, updating this thing later. Sorry but yesterday I didn't succeed to finish it

**Disclaimers: **I don't own pokemon

* * *

"Is that dude always that touchy?"

Laughed Roark as Gold guided him to the Ruins of Alph "Oh, you can say that aloud. The only one that could beat him are Clair and Whitney. But he is the funniest! Whitney just cries herself out and Clair goes all solemn and excuses herself because she is member of the ancient dragon club and shit like that."

"You know, I've never seen someone in Sinnoh acting like that, neither the girls!"

Gold jumped around him "Once I saw one of them, I think her name was Fantina or something of the like?"

The rock master nodded "Yes, she trains ghost type pokemon!"

Gold stopped grinning from ear to ear "Yes! I think she is some kind of related with Morty and she came to visit when I was in Ecruteak City, is she French or something?"

Roaek shook his head "No she's just pompous."

"Ahah, I guessed that!"

They reached the entering of the ruins, basically a small building that was used as a shield in case of rain, and they were surprised about the fact of finding police that prevented them to reach their aim.

"What's happening around here?" asked Gold in a rather pissed tone, he hated these sudden blocks police always tried to set up, they knew that in the end it would be his or Crystal's task to solve whichever problem it was.

The younger policeman sighed, explaining him the situation calmly "One of the cave just collapsed down. Experts around here are still trying to fix it. But until the situation isn't back to normal, you can't step in, it's too dangerous"

Gold tried to peek over the policeman's shoulder "And who's fixing it? Chuck? Jasmine?"

The young agent shook his head "None of them. It's just an expert team, now please leave"

Roark pulled Gold from the sleeve, but it was useless as the boy stood firm in his position "But that's not fair! Just one collapse! There are several, and repeat, _several_ caves in there"

"We were given the order not to let anyone pass"

The young trainer was about to protest, but Roark shoved him away, glaring directly at him "And we were about to leave!"

Gold didn't protest as he was abruptly dragged out

"Hey dude, it was you the one who wanted to see the cave!"

"I think it was obvious we can't go there!"

*xXxXx*

Byron was anxiously walking back and forth in his bedroom. He gave up in trying to get some sleep.

The worry consumed him.

Angelina and Mitchell went home to take some deserved rest, while Riley refused to move and was now sleeping uncomfortably on the couch.

The steel master jumped when his phone rang. He threw himself down the stairs, waking up Riley as well, who was clinging on his back trying to hear something about the call.

"Roark?" he asked hopefully

/"Fine that was what I was asking to myself too…"/

The unmistakable voice of Sinnoh's former Champion made Canalae City leader's heart to stop

"C…Cynthia?"

He was clearly expecting some kind of scold, or her menacing to expire his son from his task

/"Yes. It's me. Byron, is everything alright with Roark? A friend of mine told me he ran away"/

Rumors flew faster than Staraptor. Byron sighed, passing a hand along his face

"Yeah, we think he's having some mental illness lately, I called a doctor, but when he came, my son disappeared"

/"I see. Is there something I can do? Do you want me to go and look for him?"/

"I don't know. The doctor said it's better for us to stay away and just let him come back alone, but, if I could just know where the damn he is…"

/"If there's something, anything I could do, I would do it"/ she said solemnly

"Well, I'll let you know. Thanks for the support"

/"The whole of you are family to me"/

"Thank you Cynthia"

Riley rose an eyebrow "Was Miss. Blonde champion calling you? Is she mad?"

"No, not at all, she's just concerned and offered me her help. I'm more worried Riley. If the rumor arrived to her it could have reached also Roark's ears"

"So this is the occasion for him to finally come back home!" snapped the young steel trainer, much under the pressure of the stressful days than other "Disappearing point blankly like that! If he wasn't ill thane why didn't he just proved it facing the doctor instead of delivering heartaches to everybody here? Just the champion was missing and now we're full!"

He slid down to the pavement, holding his temples.

"You can complain about it how much you want, he won't be back thanks to your perpetual whining!" growled Byron

"At least I am realistic, I just don't hope some angel to bring him back! If you have some goals to reach you have to move your ass to get them, not waiting for them to come at you! Standing here without moving a finger won't help him. You know what? Screw what the doctor said, I'm gonna look for him by myself!"

The raven haired man stood, placing is hat on the head

"Where do you think you're going? Riley stop it!"

He whirled around just to glare at the elder "I'm fighting for something I fucking care about!"

Before Byron was able to pick him back, Riley had already called his Sakrmory out and flew away.

*xXxXx*

It was evening when Gold and Roark finally managed to reach Azalea town. The trip was everything but easy, they had to pass a cave, and, apart for the great amount of Zubats they had to fight, the damned 'reversed hat boy' decided to have some fun scaring people who were exploring the tunnel.

Once Roark had prevented him to go and get a fat hiker upset, scolding the little reckless to death "You love to put yourself in trouble? Have you seen the size of that goddamn hiker?"

The other just weaved him away, excusing himself that he just wanted to poke an hiker, not Steven Stone. Roark had just frowned at that, like he would have be ashamed of doing that too!

Azalea town was much more quieter than Violet City, maybe the fact of being in the middle of a deep forest and a cave gave it advantage.

"Are we going through the Ilex Forest or are we just staying here?" asked Roarrk sitting down on the front of the cave.

"Well, right now I have to pay the old Kurt a visit"

"Who is Kurt?"

Gold handed his mate some three different pokèballs: there was one that had a yellow and a black strip with a red "v" printed on it "What the hell…is this some kind of great ball?" he asked puzzled

"Nah, this is called a _level ball_, it's one of the best, the stronger your pokemon is, the higher is its catch rating"

"Interesting…" Roark had turned his attention to another one which was pink with a heart printed on it "This defiantly looks like a Heal Ball"

"Yet it isn't. This is called a _love ball_, and it's effective with pokèmon who are the opposite gender than yours. Then…look at this" he said showing the last one. Green with some red drops "This is a _friend ball _that makes the pokèmon you catch more friendly"

Roark was stunned, he had never seen such a thing in his native region "I suppose these are unique since they're handmade"

Gold threw himself onto the grass, arms folded behind his head "Yeah, we are the only to have both the methods and the raw materials to do them, he then pointed to a bush in the proximity of the cave's entrance "Can you please look on that tree for some white fruit?"

Roark blinked, pointing at the said plant absently "There"

"Right"

The rock master approached the small tree, picking a fruit that was as white as milk "Is it to eat?" he asked puzzled, Gold just laughed at the question "No, it's the raw material I was talking about, there are several of these fruits called _apricorns_, and each one gives a different ball, the one you have in hand, for example, gives a _fastball" _

Roark stared at the fruit a little longer "Cool. These plants don't grow in SInnoh"

"They would die as soon as the seed reaches the ground, have you any hints of the acidity level of that terrain?"

A female voice snapped the two boys back to attention.

There was a girl, her hair were blue, she wore two pigtails curled up in the end, she wore yellow shorts that matched the cap, and had a white cropped jacket over a pink turtleneck shirt. Yeah, people in Jotho were funny.

Gold ran towards her "Krys! Look, I found Silver's clone!"

She looked down at Roark "Forgive him, he's stupid"

The rock master smiled "Don't' worry, I think I got it"

"So, what are you doing around here sis?"

"Actually I was waiting for you to come along. There's something Prof. Elm asked us to do, it's related to the Unowns in the Ruins of Alph…" before she could finish her sentence, Gold cut her off protesting

"We tried to get there, but seems like the asshole policeman doesn't allow stranger to help."

Kris face palmed herself, handing her friend a plastic badge "Here, you are served these are the passes we need to get through the police, we need to go there and study the origin of the collapse…." She then gave Roark a quick glance "I'm sorry I just have two with me. And I really can't handle this to someone who's not Prof. Elm's assistant"

Don't worry about that, I'll visit the ruins when the works are finished. I enjoy to explore in peace"

The girl gave him a warm smile "I am going to pay Kurt a visit, I need a good bunch of pokèballs if I want to catch as much Unown as Possible"

"Hey, that's cool! I was going there too!" he turned to Roark still grinning "Hey man, do you mind if I leave you alone tomorrow?"

The other just grunted following his recently found mates into a small house "That was what I was actually praying for that all the day long!"

Gold just laughed while knocking quickly at the wooden door.

They were opened by a little girl dressed in pink, her side pigtails stayed up thanks to a pair of red ribbons. She lit up at he sight of Kris and Gold. She ran inside calling her grandfather aloud. Few seconds later, they were let in by a old man in a brown kimono, he held some kind of ana hammer in his hand and smiled at his guests warmly.

"Hey guys! It's been a while! Please come in and suit yourself good, I was just making dinner!"

Gold didn't need to be told twice, as he literally flew onto the green couch, sneezing at the pleasuring smell in the air that came from a boiling pot on the stove.

Kris sat politely on a chair, pulling the little girl on her lap to untie and redo the pigtails on her head.

Roark stepped in shyly, not sure if he could as the old men didn't even noticed him outside.

Looking at the new face, Kurt approached stretching an arm towards Roark "And you are?"

"Uhm…my name's Roark" the man smiled "Are you working for Prof. Elm as well?"

The rock master shook his head "No, I'm just a passer-by. I joined Gold temporarily. He offered to guide me in the surroundings, it's my first time in Jotho"

"I see, come on, have a seat as well!"

The elder then went for the stove, turning it off. The delicious smell growing and filling the room.

Kurt filled five bowls with what Roark assumed was wheat and carrot soup.

"So guys, do you need me to make some balls for you?" asked the man once his plate was empty

"Yes, we need to catch some Unowns, how many do you think you can make?" asked Kris

"Hum..it depends, Krys what do you suggest?"

The girl held her chin with fingers "Well, I guess we'd need levelballs, I have a generous quantity of red apricorns with me…"

"Fine then, I have something like fifteen" Gold's attention then turned to Kurt "Do you think you can make it ?"

"Consider the job already done!"

*xXxXx*

Roark was woken up by a sounding snore, he needed some moments to realize where he actually was.

The night before he was so tired that Kurt refused to let him move out from his home to find a room at the Pokemon Center and let him sleep at his place.

Despite the poor dimension of the house, the old man have plenty space in the upper rooms.

He slid from the covers, trying to get back asleep would be useless. He glanced at the time: five thirty. Just an hour earlier than what he was used to.

He silently washed and dressed up, deciding on going to have a look at the bottom of the Slowpoke Well. It was his intention on get a sight of that the past day, but then Kris came and he had to change his plan. Besides, the annoying trainer wouldn't have followed him.

He silently climbed the stairs down, worried that the slightest noise would wake the little girl up, then he went for his jacket that was leaning on the back of the couch under Kris one.

With the movement of removing the white jacket over his, a little piece of paper slid from the pocket. He looked down curiously and picked it up, there was a date written in black ink _July 2012_. He turned the small squared paper between his fingers and almost gasped at the sight: there was Gold in the middle, grinning and showing all his teeth that had his arms around Kris, on the left, who was sweetly smiling as usual.

There on the right corner of the photo, there was a red aired boy, his hair length arrived to his shoulders, just like his, maybe a little brighter in color, he was giving gold a piercing glare with those icy orbs of his, arm folded strictly together. Their features were almost the same.

Roark took a look around to ensure there was no one watching, he wasn't one keen on stealing things, but that was the proof he needed to show his father and Riley he wasn't sick. So he folded the little paper, putting it inside his wallet.

He decided he would have left that day. Even though he was starting to enjoy his escape.


	6. Tearing memories

**Author's note: **I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who added this story on the alerts and on their favorite, and everyone who reviewed it. Just thank you for appreciating what I'm writing. Anyway I don't have the least idea on when this will end, I'm not good at foreseeing. I just hope it's not getting too borning..

**Disclaimers: **I wish I had, but I don't own pokemon

* * *

Eyelids almost closed, bottom lip scratched by the perpetual move of his teeth, arms folded together and a foot that tapped on the gravel. Byron rested his back against his house wall, waiting for Riley to come back, hoping he was followed by his son.

Guilt sense killing him, he really should have talked with his son before acting, he knew Roark was kind of a sensitive guy, he should have predicted he would have acted in some worrying way!

The thing that hurt him more was: why he never noticed his son behaving odd? If the thing was so serious he should at least have noticed some changes, but he never did. This meant just a thing: Byron wasn't meant to be a father.

He was always very proud of what a good gym leader he was, of how far he had gotten from the beginning, how much he had improved. If he only put this passion on family too. And he was realizing it just now, when it was too late.

He spent his life on assuming things, yes he assumed Roark would have been fine with the therapist; he assumed his older son was hiding in the tool shield to play hide-and-seek with Lairon; he assumed his wife loved him.

Now, he had to assume he was alone.

The scramble of wings made Byron start, he whirled over so he could face Riley accompanied by nonetheless than Cynthia.

The raven haired man took his hat off, his face whole pale except from the two large dark rings under his eyes "Not the fucking slight hint! I've been looking for him all over this damned region!"

The boy blurted outfighting hard not to faint there on the porch.

Cynthia kneeled down and put a hand over his shoulder "Why don't you go home and rest a little? We'll be waiting for you here"

Riley looked up, not feeling strong enough to do in another way, he just nodded, shakily standing up and approaching his home.

"Byron, we are seriously worried right now. I have to be honest. Not only we didn't see Roark anywhere, but there were no signals about a damage caused by the Rhyperior you said he has"

The steel master just sighed "He must be down some cave. Maybe he felt someone was looking for him and hide…my little kid"

Cynthia gently pushed him from his back, following him inside.

The former champion had always been sensitive about sadness and hurt, and when these two feelings were displayed from someone like Byron, she was sure she could feel her heart to collapse down from a moment to another. She would defiantly have helped him, either if he liked it or not.

*xXxXx*

Roark was out in the Slowpoke Well all day long, he hoped to find something interesting there too, not knowing that was actually a well built but humans with not the slightest sign of a fossil. He found some cute shining gems, but Roark wasn't one into this kind of things: yes gems were nice, shimmering, and made woman go crazy. But they were almost all the same except for the color, nothing like fossils. Each single fossil was peculiar on his own; he knew that gems are particular rock aggregates that need certain temperatures, pressure and time to form up, but they were born from something unanimated, and stayed unanimated, constipated.

Fossils instead, were the picture of past glories that sometimes could have been brought back to life.

Comparing a gem and a fossil from the same age, the later was always more lively.

He wondered for a moment what brought Steven Stone leaving his charge as League Champion to study such those things.

Roark rose on the surface when it was about dinner time, he would go and give his new found mates a greet before heading back to Sinnoh.

He found them all dusty and sweat out of Kurt's place, his conditions weren't any better.

He waved a hand "Hey guys! What did you discover?"

Krys huffed, putting he jacket into a yellow basin filled with water and soap "We caught three different kind of Unown, and found out that the collapse was due to a water infiltration. No one noticed the cracks on the side walls, and did nothing to fix it, the collapse was more than obvious" she protested

"That's a shame, just think if there was someone inside! I have to constantly check for water and any kind of instability sign in my mine, and when I'm not there, I have two expert engineers that can do the work for me"

"We should send that lazy ass of a warden to Sinnoh for some safety courses!" joked Gold.

Roark's face went red a little as he looked away "Talking about going to Sinnoh…guys I have to come back, something occurred with my mine. Nothing serious, but they need me there…."

Gold's face twisted in disappointment: "But you spent so little time here!"

"I know, but I will be back as soon as everything is fixed, I was enjoying this trip too"

Krys nodded in acceptation "Just do what you have to do first." She stretched her hand out and shook Roark's "As soon as I'm finished here, I'll pay you a visit in Sinnoh" she smiled.

Gold just constricted the poor rock master into a bear hug "That's not fair! I was having fun!"

"G…Gold…My Lun…I can't breathe!"

The young trainer released him "Sorry"

"Whatever, I think I should be going by now…" he turned reluctantly and called Aerodactyl out. Climbing on top of the pokemon he gave his mates a wave, he was about to take off when Gold came after him shouting "Wait!" before Roark could understand what was going on, a white little sack was landed on his stomach; he opened it to find a levelball, a loveball and a moonball in, he smiled back at his friends "Show them to your friends!"

Shouted Gold as Aerodactyl took off and disappeared into the horizon.

*xXxXx*

Byron, Cynthia and Riley with his parents, sat in the living room, the Champion and Byron inspecting a map of the underground caves "He can't be gone too far. He needs fresh air to breathe, so he's supposed to show up somewhere…somewhere like the lakes"

"I tested every single inch out there, and I can assure I couldn't find signs of Roark…" commented Riley rather annoyed "What if he passed the borders? He could be wherever for what we know!" added then bitterly.

"If he was in Kanto, Brock would have surely called me!" protested Byron "You can't say that. What if he didn't see him?"

Byron huffed "It's impossible, if there's something my son can't stay away from, are caves and fossils. He and Brock share this passion. Brock spends most of his time wandering in the caves, and if my son was in one of them, he surely would have recognized him. Besides, several of the miners there, worked here before, they could recognize Roark even if he's behind a wall!"

"I can call my colleagues if you want. Maybe Lance would spit on my face, but Wallace, Alder and Green would be happy to help "

Mitchell raised an eyebrow "Isn't Green a Gym Leader?"

Cynthia gave the question very little matter "Kanto former Champion is stuck on the top of Mt. Silver, if you need human contacts with that region, the only one you can relate on id Green"

Byron shook his head firmly "I don't want to make an international case out of this. It could make Roark nervous to be pursuit by strangers too. I mean, you can send something like a missing advice, but nothing more. I don't want people to run after him like he's a prey or something of the like"

The former Champion nodded "I agree with you but—"

She was cut off by something like a whimper and bush rustling noises out of the door, Byron and Riley immediately flew outside to check.

Everything seemed in order "Should be a Bidoof, I heard they're increasing in population lately…" sighed Byron in defeat "Better we go inside…"

Riley made has to follow when his attention was taken by a small white squared paper on the ground underneath the cherry three that grown near Byron's porch "Hey, what's that?" he took the object, followed by Byron, who gasped out loudly as he saw the picture behind, he literally tore it away from Riley's grasp.

"I..It..couldn't be…"

Riley was puzzled, he hadn't the chance to see the picture properly, "What?"

But the other didn't seem to notice him, he just walked back, eyes plastered on that little piece of photographic paper.

The three in the house were stunned by the vision, it was like he went made of stone all of sudden.

Angelina wrapped and arm around his son's "What have you seen?"

Riley just shrugged "I found that piece of paper, looks like a photo or so, and he went quiet as soon as he saw it"

Byron moved slowly towards the table, never leaving the picture with his eyes, he wasn't crying because he had never been one to, but he was surely shocked, Cynthia hesitated a little before putting a hand over his shoulder, he didn't feel the touch, just sighed and murmured "Roark was right, he's not ill…"

With that he let the picture fall in the middle of the table. Four curious head went over there to inspect it, and none of them failed to focus on the redhead on the right. Cynthia took it up to examine it better "This guy…he's almost completely like Roark…"

"I guess it has to be so, they're brothers!"

Declared Byron, almost pissed.

Shocked faces painted on the four surrounding Byron, a deep silence filled the room.

"But…But you told us Ariana never had another children…" came the comment from Angelina, who was the most taken aback by the news.

Byron nodded sadly "Yeah, I know, see, I guess there's something we need to talk about."

He sat down "Well, it happened all so sudden…when Ariana found out she was pregnant, I wasn't in one of my best economical moment, and she acted strangely, always complaining about how our already precarious economy would have gone lower with the added presence of a children in our family. She wanted to go for abortion, but I've always been contrary about. I wanted him, I could have reduced some extra cash outflow and we still could have had a decent amount for our own. Besides, I was waiting for my response for becoming a Gym Leader, and was pretty sure everything would have turned better. But that wasn't what Ariana wanted, she loved luxury and expensive things. A cheaper life wasn't her cup of tea at all.

In the end I persuaded her to keep the baby, I had so much work to do between building and mining that I really paid so lower attention to all my friends…." He looked up at Mitchell, who nodded "I remember you looking particularly overstressed that time. We barely greeted sometimes…"

"Yes, the fact was that Ariana became unbearable, and I wanted to give her all the attention I could to make our kid birth healthy. When she had the kid, she never displayed any kind of love towards him, I still remember the poor boy doing whatever was possible to get some attentions from her or even a smile, but every single time she shoved him away ruthless. I was extremely busy at that time but, I can assure you, when I came back home in the evening, hi smile was more than I could ever want. Ariana left when the boy was already one year old, it was about the time the Team Rocket showed his ass down here, I've always seen the feelings between her and that damned chief named Giovanni. He had power, money and whatever the else you can want from him. She left me alone with the little Silver"

His eyes lowered, sadness spilling all over his body "Then…then it came…that day, that damned day. I was at home doing paperwork for a building in Sunyshore City, I let him play outside with Lairon, he loved playing hide and seek, when I was finished I walked to the garden to call him back in and found him nowhere, I thought he was hiding in the tool shield as usual, I waited, and when I noticed he didn't come out, I walked in the tool shield and was horrified of the vision: there was his Totodile plush on the ground ripped in pieces, some blood and I really can't understand, I became hysterical, looked for him everywhere…. I promised it wouldn't have happened again, I wasn0t a good father for letting my son disappear in that way. I just assumed everything was alright, just now I understand how wrong I was. I never told you because I was too shocked to even talk about it…"

He looked down at the picture once again "And if you ask me how I could be sure this boy here is my son…well I could never forget those eyes, they seem angry and pissed here, but they are the same that begged me to lift him up, pretending he was Articuno, the same that pleaded his mom to pay attention to his scratches…"

He seemed to go blank, swallowed in the memories, that sense of emptiness in his heart that was never filled, even after Roark's birth, he just could never forget what happened to his first son. Children weren't merchandise that you could replace with another similar one.

He didn't love one more than the other, and right now, even through the sadness, in the back of his mind there was a light hope for his two kids to come back with him.

On the opposite side of the table, Angelina was all concerned about the matter, she and her family have always been best friends with Byron, and they felt their own guilt for having not noticed when the hard times were coming, they might have taken care of the little Silver, as Riley wasn't yet arrived in their walls , they could have asked Byron what was wrong, but they didn't. Now it was the moment to come out. To show that everything would be alright.

Mitchell pulled out a question, cautiously "So…did Ariana ever died?"

There was silence, Byron was fought on the answer "No. I don't know if she's dead, but she sure wasn't when I told you so. She moved back as soon as I become a gym leader, and had more money, but when she found out she was pregnant again, she screwed up again. I said I would have taken care of Roark, and she accepted, then after a month the baby was born, I surprised her in intimate moments with someone different, and I decide to leave her. Well, she wasn't really dead, but she was for me"

Riley looked at the picture and came out with a sudden exclamation "Hey! The turtleneck! The guy I met on the Iron Island the first time on the Iron Island was wearing this! I can swear on Lucario!"

Cynthia raised an eyebrow "So this means..the guy with the Rhyperior is Silver..just wondering why is he causing such this mass of trouble"

Byron looked away "I don't know, but if there's someone to blame, then, it's me"

*xXxXx*

"Who the hell is this guy?" a male voice growled, a lithe Team Galactic grunt stumbled back "I..I..this is Silver, the one you requested for..."

"Do you think this looks like him?" he said pointing at the fainted figure of Roark

"But sir, you told me he had long red hair, and was somewhere in Canalave City, I caught him in front of an house…I thought it was him!"

"Shut the hell up! Now move your ass and go looking for Silver as I told you!"

A female grunt, with a aqua blue bob came closer to the Galactic executive "What are we going to do with him Sir. Saturn?"

Saturn waved his hand on the air "Whatever you want, just get rid of him, if this means to kill him, then just do it for good! You wouldn't risk for someone to recognize us!"

She nodded and called for three colleagues to help her carrying the body away.

Then, there was an explosion on the back of the Mt. Coroner tunnels, everyone got there, forgetting about Roark lying on the ground

_If he dies under the rabbles of this cave, then well_

Thought the Galactic grunt as she moved with her mates towards the source of the noise.


	7. Sight

**Author's note: **Well, sorry for the late, but really, I didn't like the ideas that came out of me for this, so I just waited to post until I was sure to write something at least decent. And it took me time :P

PS: You pointed to the fact that according to game and manga, Silver's actually younger than Roark. thank you for telling(I actually never check age or stature of the characters, I should check better the next time =D thank you for pointing that out =D) well, I assumed him to be older than Roark just because he came out before than him. that's all, and actually I still seee Roark a little too young, but whatever xD

**Disclaimers: **I don't own pokèmon

* * *

"Hey…hey…wake up….are you alive?" Roark painfully shifted over hoping to avoid that bothering continuous poking; but the voice was still there "Don't shift dammit! If your ribs are damaged you can seriously injure your lungs or heart!"

A hand slowly took him back to lay on his back, he just moaned in pain, still keeping his eyes closed.

He cracked them open just when he could feel a hand ghosting under his shirt, he tried to immediately sit up, but before he could, a hand on his face was pushing him back "I said don't move! Jerk! Let me see if your bones are intact or not!"

Roark surrendered to the stranger's will, from the position he was in, he couldn't see him clearly, besides his glasses where gone missing, this made things complicated as he was almost as blind as a mole.

He could feel strange hands pushing lightly on his ribcage "Does it hurt when I do like this?"

"No" he shivered, that hand was cold, just like a corpse one.

"Fine"

The other then grabbed lightly one of his arms, advising him "If you feel pain, tell me"

With that, he made almost the same movements on the arm, then repeated the ting for the other and for legs, luckily, Roark wasn't injured badly, maybe the rocks just hit him marginally.

"Who are you?" asked the rock master worried "I can't see you"

He was roaming around, touching the cold floor. Metal. Strange, he recalled to be out at his father's garden. The back of his head hurt, like he had hit it against something.

Roark looked (or better turned his eyes up, as he was almost blind) up to the ceiling, the fact that the light was low, didn't help him so much.

He knew he wasn't alone but the other didn't answer to his question.

"You can sit up, nothing's broken in your body"

He did so "Okay, what's your name again?"

"What do you care about? I'm someone you'd probably never want to meet again" came the bitter reply.

"Alright Mr. Mystery. So can you please explain where we are and how we're finished here?"

He felt a shadow in front of his face and sensed something rocking back and forth in front of his face "It's useless you keep on moving, I can't see you, I said" he sighed, almost irritated

The other just laughed "Do you really don't know where we are?"

"If I'm asking…"

"We're in a cellar, I suppose we're in the Team Galactic base"

At the affirmation Roark startled, trying to stand up, but falling on his forth "Dammit! How did we get here? Where are my pokèballs? Oh…what the hell…hel—" he felt a hand covering his mouth "Stop yelling , you idiot! There's no reason to panic like that!" the stranger growled "Do you want them to get pissed and kill us?"

Roark shook his head and fell silent.

"Anyway, they took you by mistake, and they were about to kill you, as far as I know. I came here for my personal interest, actually I'm aware of some of their plan, and have something they need and they can only get from me, when I came I found myself surrounded by several grunts, and even if I fought I was knocked out. I woke up here next to you then. I just heard one of the executives talking about keeping us until their chief will come. I don't know what they want from you"

"Maybe using me as a threat to prevent my father to act. I'm a Gym Leader and my Dad is as well"

The other whistled "Wow…"

Roark buried his face in knees "I can't believe this is happening to me! Before the doctor, my friend and father to think I am psychotic killer fool, then this…what worse could happen to me?"

This time, the laughter from the other was a little bit louder.

Roark attempted a glare, who only intensified the fun of the stranger "What the hell are you laughing for? You can't understand what being betrayed by your family means…"

He felt a hand grabbing him by the shirt "Listen to me you little asshole: my mother sold me when I was four to a sadistic pedophile just like I was some kind of second hand car, and my father used me just like a fucking tool to increase his income, do you still have the courage to speak?" the other growled, abruptly making him fall backwards to the cold metal floor.

"Hey that hurt!"

"I told you to shut up!"

"Don't give me orders, I—" his mouth was covered by a hand again, this time he could feel the palm pressing harder, almost impeding him to breathe "Don't play bossy with me. It's pointless…" the other hissed directly to his face "…look at you, poor idiot! Who you think you could threat like this? You were pointing your finger to the wall instead of me. Blind as a Zubat!"

Roark was now terrified, he was unsure if his cellar mate was better than Team Galactic. He backed away, curling up into a ball "S..sorry…" he muttered, trying to hold back the growing tears.

He could understand the stranger didn't feel concerned at all, as he spitted out with more venom "Also a coward. How useless"

The sound of voices outside made Roark tilt his head up in alert

"What are we supposed to do again?"

"Just check on them, if they're awake, we just have to put them back to sleep at until the boss will come"

The sounds were muffled just as it was coming from a close room.

A hand poked on Roark's knee "Lay down and pretend you're still fainted!"

He did as told, as he could feel the electronic door opening and steps coming closer.

"_Mpf,_ they're still KO, I guess we can't have fun tonight…"

"Yeah, just go outside and have something to drink, my throat's dry"

The electronic noise came again as the two exited

"What was that"

"The grunts just went away…the whore isn't back yet I guess"

"What are we going to do then?"

"You just stay there and don't make a move, the only thing you could achieve to do are troubles!"

The rock master heard his mate standing up and walking, then stopping and touching something metallic, that was when his fear started to raise, the fact that he was left without glasses didn't help at all. He was shivering heavily, cold sweat drops came out of his forehead and temples

"Thinking that I was just going to get my life back again…" he sniffed.

The stranger grunted, as he was resigned "It's not fair, I'm not perfect but, before my mother died, then all the rest, why do it always have to get over me? My father would probably will be worried to death…I…I know it was better I wasn't born at all…" and he let himself cry his pain out, in the darkness, sure of nothing, maybe the stranger was alright, he was useless, he was wrong in blaming Byron and Riley…

He bit his lip just to stay quiet, as he shivered in pain, curling up on himself over the cold metal surface.

*xXxXx*

The small crowd at Byron's place had moved out, Riley and Mitchell moved West, while Cynthia and Byron Moved East; Angelina stayed at her home, she wasn't able to face such that journey

Cynthia was restlessly calling, sure that the pkègear would have exploded sooner or later. She was composing another number

/"Elm here"/

"Good evening, sorry for the late of the call, but there's such an emergency here"

/"Cynthia! What's the matter?"/

The champion cleared her throat "You know Roark, Oreburgh Gym leader?"

/"Yes…"/

"He's gone missing, didn't you happen to see him perhaps?"

/"Nope, I'm sorry, I will call you if I notice something…"/ she heard the man sighing /"Sorry, just, one of my pokèdex holders went missing too…and…but tha's nothing to worry about, he's often out. Anyway, count on me"/

"Fine, thank you"

Byron looked at her expectantly, Cynthia just shook her head "Nothing. Apparently another person is missing, I hope the two disappearances aren't connected…"

*xXxXx*

Gold stretched his arms over the armchair back "Who was there?" he asked yawning

"Cynthia. They said Roark went missing and wanted to know if I saw him. Seems he's disappeared…"

The pokedex holder jumped on his feet "Hey, but I met him, he left yesterday night to go back to Sinnoh!" he yelled

"What?" Elm blinked

"Hey, now that you make me think about it, Silver left to Sinnoh too…" mumbled Krys "I don't have a good feeling about it…" she then looked up at the professor "Is that okay if me and Gold go check in there? Before Silver left he said something about Team Galactic…I don't feel positive about it at all…"

Elm sighed "Are you sure you could do it?"

The girl nodded vigorously "Yes. You said Cynthia's implied as well, we won't be alone, just give me her number"

Gold rushed towards the door "We are moving to Sinnoh!"

"Patience my young boy, remember you're dealing with crooks…."

The balck haired boy waved his hand in air "We already defeated Team Rocket. Cockhead are cockheads, doesn't matter if they're Galactic, Rocket or whatever word you put after _Team_" he was already outside before the sentence was done "Krys! Hurry up! We need to move now!"

Krys collected her things, nodding at Elm goodbye "I'll keep you updated"

"Please, be careful…"

She looked over her shoulder at her hyperactive fellow "I'll do my best, maybe Lugia would help me"

*xXxXx*

Roark stumbled back to reality at the sound of a door clicking open, the feel of warm fabric over his shoulders "W…what.."

"Sst! Stay silent, I am escaping.."

"Oh.."

"_What about me?"_

"_You'd be just a dead weight over my shoulder!"_

That thought avoided Roark to ask the question.

He sighed, at least no one would have to be worried about him anymore…

Footsteps moving outside. He assumed the other was moving out

"So?" asked the cold voice impatient

"What?"

"Are you ever following or do you just want to die here? In any case hurry up to decide!"

Still incredulous, Roark stood up, trying to move towards the voice and following the footsteps. Unluckily, he didn't see the table coming and hurt against it with his hip "Dammit…"

Roark felt a leather string hitting his shoulder, but it didn't hurt, he grabbed the object, preventing it from falling, and recognizing it was his pokeballs belt, he secured it around his waist.

Hearing his fellow moving again, he made as to follow, but, again, he hurt his foot against a table

"S…sorry…I've never seen this place, I can't avo—"

Again, the feel of a cold hand, this time grabbing his. Despite the other was colder than he was, he could have sworn his mate was shivering.

"Move, I lead!" said the other rather pissed, pulling him roughly away.

Somehow, they succeeded to sneak out of the base to end in Veilstone City and then move to route 214, here the leading hand stopped walking

"Where are we?" asked Roark almost silently

"I don't know, we moved south and there's either a grassy pat with white fences or the entering of a cave…"

Roark smirked "I understand" he took a pokèball

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm calling my Aerodactyl out, we need to move to Canalave City, my Dad will help us"

"But, they can see us!"

"Not if we fly low and in safe paths, just let me do it. I know how to move. Besides travelling on foot would be too dangerous"

The other let out a sigh "Fine"

Roark climbed to the fossil pokemon's back and waited until he felt the other wrapping his hands in the jacket he found himself in before

"You can wrap your hands around me, there's no problem" he said obviously

"I'm fine thank you" came the bitter reply

"Whatever…Aerodactyl, fly us to Dad's home, and be careful."

The pokemon lifted up, it moved slowly, watching carefully around.

They managed to get to Canalave City and land in front of Byron's house

"The lights are off" noticed the stranger

"He must be sleeping…" Roark climbed, securely yet carefully, on the porch, pulled out the keys and opened the door "Aren't you coming in?"

"No. I'll do the pole. Just hurry the fuck up"

Roark tentatively entered in, calling his father's name aloud. No answer.

He flickered the light on, made his road to the stairs, then into Byron's room. He approached the bed, just to notice that it was still untouched. Then he opened the left bedside table's drawer and found a pair of extra glasses his father always kept there, just in cases like this.

His eyed burned a little as he started to get used to the new feeling .

He walked back grabbing some water from the fridge.

"He's not at home, and my pokegear's dead.." Roark's eyes were fixed to the little device

"Well, I think I should just do it on my own then"

The Rock master rose his head, just to take a look at his adventure fellow, the curiosity of his shapes pinched on him.

But when his dark red eyes meet cold silver ones, he jumped back shrieking, his heart pounding, adrenaline spreading all across his body

"Silver?"


	8. Betrayal

**Author's note: **Sorry, it took me forever to write this. The fact is that I modified the previous chapter, not realizing how much it would stuck me. I've been thinking how to fix my mess up =/ sorry, I hope I didn't get boring, going like this I don't know how long it would be.

Well, I want to thank my friend B. who gave me some ideas to snap out of the mud for this fic! =))

Just thankx to everyone who keeps reading this. Thank you for your patience =))

PS sorry if it turned a little shorter

**Disclaimers: **I own nothing about pokèmon

* * *

Silver laughed "So, you know my name" his mood was calm, and this made Roark flinch, that guy could even have a gunshot ready to fire in his pocket. Yes, they've been encaged together, but Silver could have used him just to escape, in the end, it didn't matter to him

"Just what do you want from me? Isn't that enough I needed to leave the region because all of your troubles?"

The other chuckled, running a hand through his hair "Actually it was a precious chance, I mean I needed someone to throw the fault on once I've finished my plans with Team Galactic" he then sighed "Even though it turned into a defeat since they discovered us both. But, I need someone to bring something to Hoenn and deliver it to a certain guy called Steven Stone"

Silver's eye fell on Roark who shook his head vigorously

"I won't go to Hoenn just for your sake. I already helped you out of the Team Galactic's jaws, I overdid it"

Roark turned on himself, giving his opponent the back "You're not better than they are, who says you won't kill me just after I accomplished the task for you?"

He felt a strong hand grabbing him from the shoulder, twirling him so that the two boys were now face to face "If you don't trust me, don't give me the back then!"

Roark nodded tentatively "I promise I won't hurt you, just do this task form me and I'll disappear right after!" he grabbed the shorter man for the collar and smirked almost evilly "…otherwise, I can assure you, I'll become your worst nightmare! More that how much I've already done"

"You can't I have the proof that me and you are two different people!"

"Really? What is it? Apart from Team Galactic, no one has never seen us at the same place in the same moment"

Roark put a hand inside the right front pocket of his trousers, his eyes panicked, widening over the human limit, he checked in the other pocket furiously "Where the hell is that picture finished?"

Silver couldn't help but laugh "Don't tell me you lost the only proof you needed to be safe!"

He let Roark fall on the grass and lowered to his level to make an eye contact once again "And now?"

The rock master felt his shirt collar tightening around his neck, he now had no proof to show his father that he was sane, if they found him he'd need to meet the damned doctor again, and the story would have repeated itself. His opposite had a good point.

Roark took a sharp breath

"But, if I do it, will you help me snap out of this situation?"

"If you won't play me dirty tricks…I guess I can do something"

The rock master literally jumped up, then looked at the sky "But it's still night…." He protested

"Fine then, have a rest or whatever, but you need to leave as soon as the sun rises tomorrow!"

The other nodded making his way inside the house, then looked carefully at Silver who wasn't following

"Don't you…"

Silver shook his head "I'd be here to check for the night"

"Fine"

Roark was on his way to close the door, but a hand prevented him to "Another thing. Tomorrow morning don't forget to go to the Iron Island and pick the thing you have to deliver. It's hidden under the rest of a house I destructed, is exactly inside what was supposed to be a chimney, got it"

"Right"

With that, Roark gave a heavy sigh, slowly making his way to the bedroom, lying on the bed he shut his eyes closed trying to sleep; but he had thought that pounded strongly in his head.

_What the hell is wrong with me? I was so secure in Jotho, when I challenged Falkner, and was strong enough to escape and fly away. _

_He doesn't even seem so physically strong. Yes, he's taller than me, but he's so slim. I guess he eats once in a blue moon. Although, I'm not brave enough to just shove him away. I could also beat him in a pokèmon matcvh….no he's the son of Team Rocket's boss Giovanni. I bet my hardhat he's fucking strong. _

_But Gold told me he was a friend of his. _

He chuckled under his breath

_He just kidded him, like he did with me. He just used me to flee from the prison we were in, and now…what the hell is so important that has to be consigned to Steven Stone? I have to travel to Hoenn, face a person of the like for what?_

An heavy sigh was released from his mouth, he felt exhausted

_I'm just doing it to have my life back to normal…I need to clench my teeth and keep moving on. _

*xXxXx*

"You two idiots! How could you be so careless? They both escaped!" Saturn was outraging against the two grunts who were in charge to keep Roark and Silver encaged, they were shivering under their Executive's imperative voice and answered in unison "Sorry, Sir. We just left for some minutes, we didn't think those two would have escaped…"

Saturn grabbed the both of them for the collar "You morons! Silver is the son of Giovanni! I thought it was obvious he needed to be keep under continuous surveillance!"

"But they were sleeping…" replied the girl trying to avoid his superior's look "Like hell they were! I can't believe I still hire such incompetent staff! Like it wasn't obvious they were just acting!"

"Calm down Saturn…"

The Executive went rigid at the strong voice behind him.

Cyrus made his way slowly to his subordinate "Don't get so mad about that, those two can't be far"

"But Sir. They can say where the secret base is now" said Saturn quite worried

"I don't think you should worry about that, Silver wouldn't make any compromise with the police and Roark was without glasses, that little brat is completely blind without them"

Saturn and the grunts blinked at the sound of the new voice, a female one. They tried to peek behind Cyrus' shoulders, just to see a red haired woman, a little booty, observed the girl grunt.

The new approached and took Cyrus under the arm

_So here's the mysterious woman he was babbling about_

Thought Saturn

"Saturn!" the executive straightened up once more hearing his name being called "Yes Sir. Cyrus?"

The Team Galactic chief gave the woman a little push "She's Ariana. She was an ex Team Rocket Executive, now she joined us to accomplish our plans in the building of a new world. And you have to treat her with the same respect as you do to me!"

Ariana made a step forward "Well, we need to find them, but Silver is damned sharp and suspicious…"

"Oehm, sorry my lady, but also Roark could be such a pain.." tried to reason one of the grunts

"Don't worry about that. With Roark I have a secret card to play that wouldn't work with Silver. "

"Why do we need to catch Roark? I was ordered to just catch Silver…" protested Saturn, who could barely contain the disdain for his position being expired from a completely stranger "Well, that little blind brat has a wide knowledge about fossils, we need his information to call Palkia and Dialga and then reach Giratina. I have good reasons to suppose he knows where the fossils we needed are."

"So, sorry _my lady_" interrupted Saturn, accenting the disgust on the last two words "But, when we caught Roark, came the order to get rid of him, that I was just mistaken, so why didn't you tell me back then?"

"Because I just found that out. Silver was sharper than I thought, seems that his years in the Team Rocket were more useful than expected. Just keep on the pursuit of Silver, I have a something different to deal with"

With that, the master just went away leaving a frustrated Saturn alone.

*xXxXx*

Krys was staring at the pokegear's display, waiting for a red spot to appear as soon as they'd landed on Sinnoh. Her Fearow made a sharp cry, she petted it on the head "Don't worry, I know you're tired, but we're almost arrived"

Beside her, Gold and his Noctowl were full of energy "Still nothing?"

"No I guess we haven't reached the border yet, and anyway there is a thick mountain chain there, the signal in Sinnoh's not so strong..."

"Dammit" groaned Gold "Did he told you why he travelled there for?"

Krys shrugged, not leaving her eyes from the display, not even for a second "You know him, when there's something going on in his head, you'll only know when he's over with it. But this time, he took him strangely long…"

"Ah…I can't understand him. If he needed help he could just have asked, I'd have given him a hand"

"Me too."

The girl looked at the signal on the map "We're getting closer to Oreburgh City! Still just twenty minutes!" she smiled

"Fine, so we could see what's happened to Roark as well. It's certainly strange…." He sighed "I fear this time Silver had found a huge trouble to deal with and involuntarily dragged the poor Roark along"

"That's my point too. Before for me it has to do with that kind of stone he was handing some weeks ago"

Gold raised an eyebrow in surprise "Stone?"

"Yes. When I asked for information he just said that was the _key_ to stop something. I let go, he wasn't going to tell me anyway"

"I see"

*xXxX*

In the Team Galactic hideout, Saturn was furiously punching against a stuffed boxe sac, his fists hit and made the cahain swing violently for how hard he was going there.

Martes entered with a bunch of sheets in her hand, he pretended to not notice

"Here are all the files about Silver, Ariana wants you to read them all"

At the mention of his superior's name, Saturn punched so strong that the chain broke, making the sac falling on the floor, and with the hit opening and scattering sand all around the room .

Martes jumped back

"Bring those files to someone else, I'm not going to obey her orders" he pouted, cleaning the mess from the floor; his colleague was irritated by the answer "What the hell is in you all of sudden? She's our superior and you have to obey her. Like it or not!"

"You want me to believe that her presence hasn't shaken your pride even a bit?"

Martes looked at him puzzled, his features went dark. Sign he was clearly pissed off "W…what do you mean?"

Saturn grew furious and smashed a hand against the wooden table "I mean: eight years here with the Team Galactic! I've always accomplished my missions in a brilliant way, and have the lowest number of failures in this department; my plans are always enjoyed by the others and always work. I worked myself to the bone in order to help Sir. Cyrus with his plan. Then arrives that kind of MILF, who, after giving him a couple of blowjobs gets the place instead of me! Now tell me, what on Earth makes you think I'm gonna work for her?"

He growled in frustration

"The fact that if you don't do it, Cyrus will kick your ass out of here" she put the sheets down on the table "Here are the files, make your best. I am pretty busy" she affirmed coldly before walking away.

Saturn looked at the sheets once again. He was frustrated, angry, and felt like having been heavily wounded. He believed to Cyrus project for the new, perfect, world. He really did. But the fact of Ariana was really a low hit that he wasn't expecting.

He took a chair and, reluctantly, started reading the files one by one. Or at least he pretended to read, he had already put apart four sheets and learnt nothing from them. He could not concentrate: the hunger of vengeance was too strong in his head.

He peeked from the window to see Ariana speaking with a group of five grunts, and right after they were gone, Cyrus came and hugged her from the back.

Saturn clenched his teeth like just a wild animal could do, holding himself back to jump and kill his superiors merciless.

Then an idea bumped in his mind, he smirked and retired back in his room, laying on the bad with the lips curved in the same way.

_Well, if it's betrayal what they like, I'll give them some of mine then. It's rude to not return so gently given affections. _


	9. Spinning round and round

**Author's note: **Sorry, it took me forever to update =) Hope at least I did it well.

Some things here may not collide with the game and manga perfectly cuz I worked with fantasy, nothing too heavy though.

**Disclaimers: **I don't own pokèmon

* * *

Weak rays of light peeked from the mountains, Silver stood from his place where he sat awake all night, he needed to wake Roark up.

Tentatively opening the door, he got in and headed straight to the bedroom. Roark laid on his side, face half hidden in the pillow, despite the air was quite hot outside, the rock master slept rolled up in a blanket.

Silver pounced the other with a finger "Hey, Mr. Rock, time for you to go"

The boy squirmed under the sheets, turning his body on the other side "I'm talking to you, you need to go"

Roark slowly opened his eyes to notice the annoying boy standing over him, arms crossed over the chest "I'm waking, I'm waking….I doubt Steven Stone is up already…" he stretched his arms out, carefully sliding off of the sheets "What is exactly the stuff I have to take in the Iron Island?"

"You'll discover it by yourself"

"Your jacket is on the chair, thank you" groaned Roark pointing towards the desk

"Mpf! You were about to die for freezing!"

"…Said the one colder than a corpse with the shivering hand!"

Silver fell back into the mattress, hands folded behind his nape "Whatever"

Roark moved towards the bathroom to get dressed, and came back with a bunch of freshly clean towels, he threw them to the laying enemy "Here you are, if Dad comes back—"

"I'll be on my way out, don't worry about silly issues like this."

The rock master nodded and picked his pack up, sure this guy was strange, the day before he acted all threatening and spoke in a bossy voice, now he was using just some casual calm tone, he seemed almost to be _asking it for please_.

"The bathroom is—"

"Second door on the left at the bottom of the corridor" Roark's eyes widened in awe"How you know that?"

The rock master didn't noticed that Silver was surprised of the truth of his own affirmation as well. He needed to improvise an answer "I just guessed. Goldnerod City's architecture is spread all around the world, so I wouldn't be surprised if your father used it in his place as well"

That was a lie, Goldnerod houses where three floors tall: Wide dining room and kitchen with a small bathroom on the ground floor, living room and study on the first floor and bedrooms with another big bathroom on the second floor. Byron's home didn't respect any of this canons. First of all, it was too small and just two floors high, then the room were surely smaller and organized differently: the living room, dining room and the kitchen were constipated on the ground floor, and on the first floor there was just a bedroom, a few square meters bathroom and another hole of a room that was used to keep cleaning products. It was just a house.

Now that he came to think about it, he had no troubles finding the bedroom either, the three doors upstairs were all closed, how could he get it at the first shot? That could be luck, but luck doesn't hit two times on the same day.

"Once in Hoenn, where do I find Steven Stone?" asked Roark

"He's in Lilycove City right now" Silver slipped a letter out of his pockets and handed it to the departing boy " Give this to him as well, it's important. Just don't read it"

"Fine." with that, Roark left, closing the door behind him.

Silver hadn't moved from the laying position on the bed, strange. He was something like a wild animal who could not sleep for three consecutive days, and even in that case, he wouldn't have felt tired at all. Besides, he was someone highly suspicious of everyone and everything, he should have checked under the bed for weapons, or poison traces, should have ensured there were no cameras around, instead he laid there, almost dazing off, what was with that bed? It felt rather comfortable and _safe_.

He curled up into the covers, feeling relieved, it was like the atmosphere around him was lulling him to sleep. He shouldn't be sleeping: he was on a mission, he wasn't tired, and it was too dangerous to fall asleep right now. But he couldn't help it, Orpheus came in and take him away.

*xXxXx*

Byron and Cynthia had combed all the Wayward Cave, no trace of Roark.

"Do you think I should leave and look for him abroad?" asked Byron, now hopeless at anything. The former champion just shook her head "No, the right people have been warned. Besides you risk to stay away for a long time without achieving anything"

"I don't know what to do anymore!"

Cynthia made Grachomp move a stone so they could have free access to the open space.

Byron climbed up a rock, trying to see clear through the small wood for eventual signs of his son's presence.

He was taken aback by the sound of Cynthia's pokègear, a number she couldn't recognize appeared on the small screen "Yes? Cynthia from Sinnoh here"

There was a girl on the other side/ "Good morning, my name's Crystal, me and my mate Gold have been sent here from Jotho to investigate on a missing boy. Professor Elm gave us your number"/

"Fine, Elm told me about you coming, actually we're looking for a missing boy as well, hope our efforsts together will help each other. Just where are you right now? I'm gonna fly and meet you there"

/"We're in Oreburgh City… in the pokèmon center" /

"Perfect, I'll send you a guy named Riley there, right now I'm busy. We'd not miss the chance to meet later"

The former Champion looked to Byron "Listen to me, we're now going to check this cave again, then go and find if Riley and the two boys from Jotho have a new"

The iron master nodded "We need to check some inlets we left unexplored. Being the small thing he is, Roark could have escaped through them. I'm not giving up, even if I have to die searching"

*xXxXx*

Roark flew over the sea, the sun wasn't completely risen, but it was pretty hot anyway, and Hoenn was way hotter than Sinnoh as far as he knew. He just prayed for all this situation to have an end.

He reached the Iron Island, freezing at the sight of Riley's house being completely destroyed, Aerodactyl had some troubles to land without damaging anything further.

Roark made hesitant steps to what seemed to be the rest of a chimney, strange it was still almost intact. There was a piece of wood on the upper opening, he cautiously take it away, and checked the inside, it was all full of ash, he had to search a little longer than expected, making his arm wonder in the inside of the square pipe before grabbing something that looked like a stone, he carefully slid it out.

It was a packet with an irregular form, he wiped out the more ash it was possible and unpacked the mysterious bag, inside there was a stone, and not a common one, it was shiny grey with what seemed to eb gold square pictures. It remembered him a little about the pictures in Celestic Town ruins.

He examined the rock a little longer, and when he was about to leave, he hurt against someone.

It was a woman in a white Team Galactic suit. As soon as he saw the "G" printed in the front of the shirt, Roark backed away, calling Aerodactyl who flew by his side "Who are you? And what do you want from me? I'm ready to fight!"

The woman wore a scarf that covered her face 'til the eyes "Roark, what a relief!"

This wasn't supposed to happen, her voice was sweeter than expected and she was now walking towards him with arms widened "Roark! You, my child!"

"Y…Your child? I'm sorry miss, I think you're confusing me with someone else…"

She stopped and chuckled, grabbing the end of her scarf with hands "Sorry, no wonder you can't recognize me. It's been such a long time…" she took the piece of cloth away from her face, revealing her true appearance.

And then Roark was shocked, he rubbed his eyes several times, at first to clarify the vision, then to stop the wet hot feeling of tears forming at the corner of them.

The woman got closer, noticing the sudden burst of weakness that hit the young gym leader, and wiped away some tears "M..mom! It's impossible! Dad and the others told me you were dead!"

Ariana slowly placed a hand on Roark's shoulder "What an ugly thing to learn for me…"

The rock master tilted his head up "Just…we're have you been for so long?"

"I'm sorry, your father forced me to leave some times after your birth because he said he had no money to maintain me and you…I did it for your sake. I've never found peace since. I thought he might have mistreated you!"

"He believes I suffer from double personality and wanted me to go in an asylum" Roark growled under his teeth, right now he could feel the rage growing triple of before, so all his father told him were lies? It was an aggravating to the already precarious balance they have had lately.

But he finally found a little piece of safety now. His mother was there with him, at least there was someone to rely on "But Mom, what are you doing dressed in a Team Galactic suit?"

Here it was something he didn't consider before and that was adding crumbs of suspicion upon that woman.

"This? Well, you have to know I'm a spy and I'm working with the Sinnoh police. Team Galactic has been having dirty plans lately…they told me they caught you just after you escaped with that terrible Silver!"

"You know him?"

"Of course, he's trying to bring the fossils of origin to Hoenn. This mess with the natural balance of the elements, he just wants to wake Hoenn and Sinnoh legendaries to take control over the regions, and he used the Team Galactic to achieve his aim. That boy's a crazy sanguinary criminal, he sent you to sure death. Luckily I found you on time."

"Yeah, that was luck."

Roark's eyes were plastered to the horizon, his first thought was to give the found item to his mother, but something in his inner begged him to wait, so he did.

"Mom, how did you know I was here?"

She smiled innocently "Chance my boy, chance"

_You poor idiot, didn't you know there are guardians all over Canalave City? _

They both heard rumors from behind a rock, Ariana called her Fearow out "Come on, follow me!We have no time to lose!"

*xXxXx*

"One, two…ouch…Three! That was a heavy one!" panted Martes putting all the boxes with the stolen goods in order in the warehouse while Jupiter matched all the goods on her block "Have you seen Saturn at all today?" asked the lilac haired girl, not moving the eyes from the paper she was marking "Yesterday night he was nervous for Ariana's promotion"

"Poor guy, how to blame him, he worked himself to the bone just to be replaced by Cyrus' new lover"

Martes lifted another box up, opening the top a little and glancing towards her mate "Ultra balls."

She marked on the square with that name on "And what do you think about the whole stuff Mart?"

"For me Saturn is taking it too hard, I mean, yes, everyone here show respect for Cyrus, but we're doing it just because we believe in what he's working for. It's pointless getting so mad over a pointless thing like that"

Jupiter shook her head "So you still believe in his plans? I mean, sometimes I have the sensation he's taking us all for granted. I mean, realizing a perfect world is something so much harder than trying to better this one…"

"I can't believe it! How can you doubt the supreme Cyrus opera?" came the bitter reply from Martes

"Hey chill out. I'm just exposing my opinion. I'm not saying I'm gonna ruin his plans or whatever, if my intention was really it, I'd already left the Team Galactic, don't you think so?"

The redhead just shrugged "Whatever, unluckily Saturn's not as you, he was very enraged yesterday when I saw him, I'm afraid of what he could do, he's rebellious, and could act against Cyrus' will"

Jupiter sighed "I know, that boy risks to endanger his own life…do you think we should go and check on him?"

"Just leave him cook on his stove. I advised him yesterday, if he's about to make bullshits, he's the one who needs to pay the price for it, nothing more, nothing less. It's pointless you keep on defending him."

The lilac haired girl sat on a steel barrel "Sometimes I barely recognize you Martes, is it possible you don't worry even a little bit about him and just think about the plan and the team? Aren't you forgetting we're best friends before being Galactic grunts? We decided to follow this together, and now it's natural I get worried for Saturn…"

Martes sighed looking away "I know, it's just that he's always been like that, acting without giving a fuck about the consequences, and I am pretty fed up with his way of acting…Yet, I can't say I don't give a damn about his health, the problem why I am so cold with him is that I am sick worried, I tried my own ways to impede him to make a bullshit, and now I'm afraid my method didn't work.."

Jupiter gave her friend an encouraging pat on the shoulder "Come on, let's finish with the last two box cargos and then we'll go and check on him!"

In that moment, the sound of the automatic door fuzzed in the room, Saturn walked in, chuckling in his usual undertone way and leaning the palm of his hand against his forehead.

"You girls are really silly! I'm not a kid anymore and I don't need you to look after me!"

Martes crossed her arms, glaring at him "Where've you been?"

The boy extracted a pile of documents from the folder he held, letting them fall on a table in front of him, smirking "The files about Silver, do you remember? I had to read them all and was impossible to do it in my study because some grunts were always interrupting. So I moved to the upper floor where we store all the broken weapons, no one disturbed me there"

Jupiter laughed "It's always yourself, I was worried you were about to make Ariana's room explode!"

Saturn gave her a smile and nodded "I understood that it's pointless, that woman's gonna leave Cyrus sooner or later, and when she will, I'll be there ready to request the replacement. "

The two girls were relieved and proud of their friend, who for one time decided not to be revengeful.

Whish that they had the mindreading power!

* * *

**Post A/N: **The part of Silver's relationship with Byron's house is inspired from Agatha Christie's novel _Sleeping Murder_


	10. Nice to see you

**Author's note:** Sorry it took me forever to update. I think it's time to put things a little in order now. I've been playing for too long, (And I'm pretty sure one of these nights, Silver or Roark will come and kill me in my sleep).

There's gonna be some fluff…I suppose.

**Warnings:** All the stories about Giratina, Dialga and Palkia are product of my imagination. I know things aren't like I say here, but I liked this idea and wrote it down. No fire, just ice please x))

**Disclaimers:** I don't own pokèmon.

* * *

Heading back to Canalave City, Riley noticed something strange at Byron's place: the curtains weren't closed, and everyone knew that Byron always closed them before leaving. He stared at the window one minute longer "What are you staring at?" asked Krys, seeing the other unmoving "The curtains aren't closed"

"Maybe he forgot them, you have to consider all the stress he went through these days, as you explained us, knowing that not one, but both his children are in danger it's quite annoying"

Riley nodded "You're right, I wasn't considering it. Well, I'm worried sick too. Roark's my best friend, and honestly, knowing, or better, _not knowing_ where the hell he is now bothers me like hell. Tell me, why did Silver come here?"

Gold shrugged "Who knows. He babbled something about the Team Galactic, Ariana and two…fossils…I think? That were connected with Giratina…he often goes off with such excuses, but it's the first time he goes missing"

Riley reflected " _Fossils _you said? They might be the stones of Time and Space, they're supposed to wake Dialga and Palkia, but the process is difficult. There's a kind of a ritual to wake them up, and it's very ancient, I think neither Cynthia knows it"

Krys sighed shaking her head "But these teams are Evil, you can't ever know what sources they have"

*xXxX*

Silver yawned loudly, it never happened he fell asleep so deeply in the last years, that bed must have been poisoned by a Butterfree. He turned his head towards the source of light that was the window, how long did he sleep?

His eyes were caught by some pictures on the bed side table, one with Roark and the one supposed to be his father, on Roark's first day as a gym leader, the boy was dressed in his usual miner outfit holding something like a diploma in his hands and smiling forcefully, on the other side, his father was grinning hear to hear, clearly proud of his son's doing. A look he never earned from Giovanni despite all his struggles with the Team Rocket. Nice stuff!

He was sure that was the first time he effectively saw Canalave city's gym leader, yet he felt something like he had known him for years. The same strange feeling of bonding he had when Roark laid there, in the Team Galactic cellar beside him.

He put the frame back in place, and another one fell off the bedside table, he picked it up. Another picture with Byron and Roark as a toddler. Funny, the kid's features seemed to be different, lighter eyes and hair. Silver shrugged, putting the picture back in place, laying on the bed again. The relaxing sensation coming alive once again. He was about to drift off once again when his eyes cracked open, he grabbed the last picture he saw and let out a loud gasp.

Roark's features. They were different.

Too different.

That toddler wasn't Roark.

He stared at the photo "A thunder strikes me!" he exclaimed, the toddler beside Byron was he himself.

Behind the picture there was a note attached

_I'm still cursing that day. The day some asshole stole my little baby. I really hope that bastard dies in a cruel manner. _

_My Silver, my little Silver._

_Blood, blood, blood, I don't think I can forget how much of it was in the tool shelter, they said it didn't belong to only one person, but I am sick worried. _

_Where is he now? Is the one who took him looking after him like I did? _

_I can't sleep, I spent these latest night looking for him. Agent Jenny told me he is probably dead. I don't believe her, don't want to. _

_A parent is able to feel if his child is alive or not, and he is. I don't know where he is now, or how is he doing, but I'm sure he's alive. _

_He's strong, he will survive, I won't give up on him, though, he's the most precious gift life gave me and I can't let go like this. _

_He's a calm and innocent child, whoever tried to touch him must prey to never meet me! _

_I want him back. _

Silver was frozen, he read the sentences, two, three, four times, looked at the picture once again. No, that wasn't Roark at all, that was no one less than him!

That explained why he oriented so well inside the house despite he had never been there, that's why no door was a secret for him and the bed was so comfortable.

He laid back, instinctively bringing the picture to his chest.

Damned Giovanni, Damned Ariana, they never worried for him. whenever he was beaten up, all they did was just accusing him not to be strong enough.

Silver often had flash of a man playing with him or reading him books at night, but the thought they were just a product of his imagination. He never realized how much, despite they didn't spend lot of time together, he missed his dad.

Even if in a very confuse way, he could recall how Byron took care of him.

He moved downstairs, to the kitchen: the chair against the wall. It looked unmoved. Silver let his fingers slip on the still wooden surface of the table, and there, he had a flash.

_It was dinner time and he sat on his knees over the chair, making faces as to mask he was painful for the cut on his knee. _

_Byron went to check on him "Silver, is everything alright? Tell dad…" _

_The little kid shook his head, a little afraid. Byron told him several times not to climb on the fence, despite the advices, he did it anyway and fell. _

_His father knelt before him "Let me see your leg, Silver" he commanded. _

_The skin was a complete mess, there was ground mixed with grass, little stones, and there was a bunch of dried blood that completed the opera for good. Despite this, the wound wasn't so deep. _

_Bringing the kid to the bathroom, Byron carefully washed all the dirt away, then he took a bottle of Hydrogen peroxide and poured some on a cotton ball "This is going to burn…" _

_Despite he was feeling pain, Silver didn't move, and didn't complain at all. He knew his father wouldn't hurt him. _

_The burning sensation was over soon and his father was already putting a bondage on the wound. _

_Silver looked down, he knew he messed up, and Byron would probably scold him. _

_"Hey, there's no reason to be upset. You climbed up the fence, didn't you?" _

_He nodded weakly._

_"And I told you not to, didn't I?" _

_He nodded again _

_"You learnt your lesson. Can you understand now why I didn't want you to climb? I didn't want you to hurt yourself" _

_Silver looked up at him, smiling a little, his father took him in his arms, walking back to the kitchen "And the next time you get wounded or something, tell me right after. A wound could get infected pretty easily" his tone was calm and comforting. Silver nestled his head in his father's shoulder "I…I love you dad…"_

_"I love you too, even when you don't follow my advices…"_

_"I won't do that again" _

_"I hope it for your safety. Come on, it's over now, let's finish eating, I bought a new book, I'm reading it to you tonight" _

Silver checked the clock, his brother must have been safe on his way to Hoenn, maybe two hours and he'd arrived at Steven Stone's place, once the fossils were delivered, there would be nothing for the Team Galactic to do anymore. Their plans would be ruined. They caught him by mistake, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were idiots. Even if they decided to follow him, his brother would have been able to get them lost in a cave in several ways.

So way he had a bad feeling about the situation?

He took his pokègear out, better check. There was no signal. Fine he was probably in a cave.

*xXxXx*

Byron and Cynthia noticed the three young guys standing outside Byron's garden, Riley rose his hand to call them.

"So, you two are Gold and Crystal, I suppose" said Cynthia smiling politely

"You are Cynthia? Sinnoh's champion? I'm so pleased to meet you!" Gold grabbed her hand enthusiastically "Why do we have to deal with Lance? It's not fair! He's rude and so un-cool!"

"Gold, stop it this instant! We're not here to complain about Lance!" Krys then ducked her head "Forgive him miss Cynthia, he's just hyperactive…"

At a certain point during all the information exchange, Byron noticed his curtains, they weren't closed.

"Riley did you get into my home perhaps?"

"No, why should I?"

He didn't answer, the man ran to his house, a strange feeling inside, he slammed the door open and saw _him: _Silver was standing in front of him, they stared at each other for a while, like they didn't believe they finally succeed to meet.

Byron tentatively moved forward, like he was afraid to scare the one in front of him.

"S…Silver..can you recognize me?"

Funny sensation. Butterfree in his stomach, something of the like. Silver felt his eyes getting watery as his dad slowly embraced him. He didn't jerk away, he wasn't scared of _his_ touch, the very first touch he knew, the one meaning love and care. Those arms, the one that cradled him to sleep or took care of him when he was hurt. His father's protective embrace.

He sobbed, tears of happiness, he didn't think he'd be able to feel it anymore, but his heart was pounding with joy.

Byron patted his head, like he was holding the three years old son, the one they took away from him, was now back.

"Don't cry, I'm here.."

Byron held him like he was a fragile and precious treasure, and he was.

He never cried in front of Giovanni, he was told crying was a sign of weakness, but he was feeling strong at the moment, like never before.

"It's okay, I promise I'll never let anyone hurt you anymore…"

* * *

**A/N:** Gosh, this was creepy. I don't know when I'm updating again, I'm still panning the events for the following chapters.


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